


Caution & Distrust

by halfpastmonsoon



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Dialogue Heavy, Different murders, Execution, F/F, Gay Character, Gen, Kaede Lives, M/M, Multi, Murder, POV Akamatsu Kaede, Rewrite, Trans Character, different motives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2019-09-30 17:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 55
Words: 262,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17227919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfpastmonsoon/pseuds/halfpastmonsoon
Summary: A somewhat interactive rewrite/AU of New Dangan Ronpa V3./Akamatsu couldn't remember how she got there, that much was obvious. Presumably she was kidnapped and drugged to avoid a struggle, so any gaps in memory were quite understandable./





	1. Prologue: start

Akamatsu Kaede opened her eyes.

Immediately, she felt a wave of fatigue cloud her consciouness, as if it was just waiting for her to regain it. She realised that her body was held up straight by the tightness of the walls around her – otherwise she would have dropped to the floor a long time ago.

What surrounded her was darkness, but there were some holes in front of her eyes, letting air and some light in. She reached out her hand and ran it over the wall.

The outline of a door.

It's not a wall.

On the contrary, it appeared that she was inside something resembling a locker. Or a coffin.

She had a few options, but letting herself stay there and rot away wasn't one. She clenched her hands into fists. There wasn't enough space in the locker to take a proper swing. She could only hope that the door would give out easily – it didn't seem very sturdy anyway.

He fist hit the door and apppeared to dent it.

That counts as progress, she figured.

She raised her leg as much as she could before kicking at the door with all her strength, blowing it open at last, causing her to fall out of it onto her knees.

Akamatsu was free. Or, at least, she was more free than before.

Coughing and wheezing, she gasped for air, trying to get up from her knees before looking around.  
Indeed, the box she was stuck in before was a locker, one in line of many. A similar cluster decorated the oppposite wall as well. She shuddered, remembering the all-to-recent feeling of claustrophobia. While it was easier to breathe now, she still felt concerning numbness in her head, as if someone had punched her brain.

Upon closer inspection, the room she was in appeared to be a rather dusty classroom. She guessed it hadn't been cleaned properly in a while. It was unremarkable, but it made her realise something perhaps rather crucial. She knit her eyebrows tightly, deep in thought.

Akamatsu couldn't remember how she got there, that much was obvious. Presumably she was kidnapped and drugged to avoid a struggle, so any gaps in memory were quite understandable. She tapped the pocket on her vest. Her phone was gone, of course. Her backpack – her trusty old friend – was mostly empty as well. She couldn't find her wallet, or any of her school supplies. The only items she could find were hygiene products – thankfully, she supposed.

Pausing her attempts at regaining her memory, she perked up cautiously. There was somebody else in the room. She could hear their muffled breathing. Her heart began beating faster as she held her breath and looked around again.

In the opposite corner of the classroom, hidden from her eyes by a shadow cast by the lockers until just then, was a pile of dark fabric that was undeniably a human body. Akamatsu gasped and walked towards it, almost tripping over the desks on her way. She kneeled in front of it. Whoever it was, they were still breathing, she concluded with relief.  
Then, their eyes opened.

Akamatsu stifled a scream and held out her hand, offering to help the person up. After a few seconds of hesitation, they grabbed it and let her help them up, followed by the two dusting themselves off.

Now that the figure was out of the shadow, Akamatsu could see that it was a boy around her age, dressed in dark colours from head to toe. The only light point of this entire gloomy creature were the eyes, so hazel they apppeared yellow. Although, it would be more accurate to say 'eye' – since the other one was hidden behind his bangs, pushed down by a hat, so black they almost appeared blue in the light. 

She concluded that he appeared to be the polar opposite of her. From experience, she knew that opposites can either attract or get on each other's nerves – she had yet to see which it was going to be. So far, she had many questions she wanted to ask her fellow kidnappee, who was awfully quiet, and seemed tense.

She was going to get everything out of him anyway, though.

'Hey, are you okay?' she asked, looking at the way he was stroking his arm. He flinched and screamed under his breath.

'Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you,' she added apologetically, 'I guess I should introduce myself first? My name is Akamatsu Kaede. Nice to meet you,' she informed, holding out her hand. He shook it weakly, his hesitation slowly beginning to fade.

'Saihara Shuuichi,' he introduced himself, watching her carefully. She felt tempted to call him out on being so suspicious, but decided against it – they were strangers after all. She just had to try to get him to warm up to her.

'I didn't notice you at first,' she remarked, 'were you here from the start? How long have you been awake for?'

'I woke up when I heard a loud noise, I think, a few minutes ago,' he answered, looking away. 'I was too weak to move, and I couldn't see where it came from, so I...'

'So you played dead?' she tilted her head, knitting her eyebrows. It seemed kind of ridiculous, but she didn't want to offend him. Not yet, at least. She sincerely preferrred to try getting along with everyone.

'You can call it that,' he admitted, clearing his throat nervously. 'But I don't know how long I spent unconscious, or why we're both here. I can't help with that, sorry.'

'I see,' she hummed, poking her cheek. 'Man, you got a much better deal than me. I had to get out of one of these,' she complained, nodding at the lockers. His eyes followed hers and widened.

'That's what the loud noise was, I assume,' he remarked.

'Yeah, doesn't take a detective to figure out that one,' she said with a sarcastic undertone, before her amusement turned into confusion when she looked at his face. She could have sworn he went pale the instant she said that. 'Anyway...' she cleared her throat. 'So you have no idea how and why we got here. What's the last thing you remember, though?'

He rubbed his temples, trying to remember. Clearly, they were both suffering from memory loss. She wondered if his was as severe as hers.

'I remember...school...' he said at last. 'I got accepted for a scholarship I think...but I never made it there. At least I don't...don't remember.'

'Wait,' Akamatsu interrupted, her eyes wide, 'that's the last thing I remember, too. I was supposed to enrol into this fancy school that wanted me for my piano skills. Sounds like we found a common link, but I don't know what to make of it...' She looked around and shuddered. 'This can't be the school, can it? That would be a huge scam, if you ask me.'

'It's possible,' he said cautiously

'I guess it is,' she sighed, 'but that makes me wonder...' she paused, looking at him curiously, 'do you think we're the only ones here? They wouldn't kidnap just two people, right?'

He shrugged slightly. 'I woudn't know. I haven't left this room yet.'

'We should! If we can, I mean.' She walked towards the door and grabbed the doorknob. 'I don't think it's locked, we should be good to go. C'mon, let's go see if there's more of us here! Let's say hi to everyone and see if anybody remembers anything.'

'What is this 'we'...' he said nervously, taking a step back. She resisted the overwhelming urge to grab him and shake his shoulders. 'I mean...'

'...Would you rather stay here forever?' she asked with confusion. 'C'mon, we can't be so antisocial.'

'I don't want to stay here, but we have no idea what's outside. We might run into someone dangerous. I'm not sure if we're prepareed for that.'

'I can understand that, but we don't even know if there are any other people to begin with. And I guarantee everyone else would be just as nervous. Even I am, believe me. It's not just you. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Actually,' she narrowed her eyes. 'I never asked why you got the scholarship. What's your skill?'

'I...' He sighed and took a step forward. 'I'm a detective. It's not as big a deal as it sounds, though.'

'Not a big deal? Are you kidding? You might be the key to getting us out of here! That's an amazing talent!'

'It really isn't...It's pretty useless unless someone dies.'

'First off, let's hope nobody dies, okay? Second off, that's not true. You can figure out why we're here... and who kidnapped us...but in order to do that, we have to investigate. This entire thing reeks of illegal practices, especially if we really were kidnapped.'

'That's true,' he admitted, looking her in the eyes. 'I, um...I guess it's my duty.'

'Exactly,' Akamatsu nodded, opening the door slowly. 'Let's go.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! The story has been finished but I still appreciate feedback and such.  
> You can reach me here or at halfpastmonsoon.tumblr.com!  
> Enjoy the story, comrade.


	2. Introductions 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting some characters!

The two slowly left the classroom, looking around suspiciously, Akamatsu leading the way with Saihara a few steps behind her. With a determined expression, she scanned the hallway they found themselves in for potential danger. There was just one – a figure with its back turned towards them. Her muscles tensed noticeably as she walked forward, still hyperaware of her surrroundings. Saihara closed the classroom door behind them and followed her.

'Excuse me?' Akamatsu said calmly, gently tapping the figure on the shoulder. Immediately, the young woman whom the shoulder belonged to jumped away as if Akamatsu's hand burned her. Their eyes met, calming the woman down noticeably, although she was still jittery. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,' Akamatsu apologised, bowing slightly, thinking that it's the second, and probably far from last, time she scared someone today. 'You're the first person we've met here.'

The woman tilted her head in confusion. 'We?' she asked, prompting Akamatsu to look back. Saihara was behind her, blending into the shadows again, so she grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, smiling brigthly.

'We both woke up in that classroom,' Akamatsu explained, pointing at the door, 'and haven't seen anyone else yet.'

'I see. I've just been trying to examine this staircase. It seems to be closed off at the moment,' the woman explained. The other two looked behind her. Indeed, there were metal bars separating them from the staircase. None of them could begin to imagine what they were being kept away from.

Suddenly, the woman's sad greyish-green eyes widened. 'Wait...Did you wake up...together?' she asked, leaning forward slightly, her curiosity clearly calming her nerves. Saihara cleared his throat and looked at his feet.

'No,' Akamatsu said firmly, 'I woke up in a locker that was barely big enough to hold me.'

'I woke up on the floor,' added Saihara, speaking up for the first time.

'I see,' the woman nodded with certain disappointment, 'I suppose we should get introduced properly. My name is Shirogane Tsumugi, and I'm a cosplayer,' she said proudly, resting her hand on her hip.

'A cosplayer, huh? That's so cool!' Akamatsu's eyes appeared to sparkle. 'I'm Akamatsu Kaede. I'm a pianist!' she added.

'Yes, most people are surprised that someone as boring and plain-looking as me has such a flashy hobby,' she admitted with a sigh.

'You, plain-looking? Not at all!' Akamatsu assured, eyeing her shamelessly. 'I think you're pretty attractive. You have some sory of a...freaky vibe!' she added, to the horror of Saihara, who almost elbowed her instinctively.

'Akamatsu-san, you can't say such things to people!' he whispered theatrically.

'Why not?' Akamatsu turned towards him in confusion. 'It's true, don't you feel it too?'

'No,' Saihara protested hoarsely. 'I mean...'

'I don't mind,' Shirogane intervened, smiling awkwardly, 'um...your name...?'

'Saihara Shuuichi,' he responded, grateful for the change of topic, 'I'm a detective. I, uh,' he cleared his throat, 'I don't know much about cosplay, so I have to ask...does your hair get in the way when you put on wigs, Shirogane-san? It's quite long,' he asked, looking her right in the eyes. 'I also have to ask about your last memory before getting here.'

Akamatsu eyed the other girl's hair as well. It was wavy and about chest-length, muted blue in colour. It contrasted well with the orange ribbon around her neck, a colourful detail in her mostly black-and-white outfit. Indeed, however beautiful her hair was, she'd imagine it would be difficult to hide it under a wig.

'My last memory? Let me think...I have no idea how I got here, but I do have a memory of some sort of an acceptance letter...my memory is fuzzy, though.' Shirogane smiled and winked. 'As for my hair, you'd assume so, huh? Well...I can't really answer that. I have to keep at least one secret, you know? However,' her lips curled into a smile, fanaticism jumping out of her eyes, 'I could tell you other things about the wonderful world of cosplay!'

'I think,' Akamatsu interrupted, grabbing Saihara's shoulder, 'that this will have to wait. We should explore the rest of the school.'

'Oh, I see,' her shoulders drooped.'Well, I'll see you around. I will see what I can do about the stairs!' she added as the pair walked away.

'Is this another classroom...?' Akamatsu pointed at the door, stopping in front of it. 'I guess we have to see if it's locked,' she chirped with exaggerated cheerfulness, putting her hand on the doorknob before pushing it open.

'Jeez, you should learn to knock!' a voice complained at her from the inside the instant she started opening the door. After a moment of hesitation, she entered the room. It appreared to be near-identical to the one she woke up in, with just a few minor differences.

The unnerving thing was that she couldn't locate the owner of the voice. She tip-toed around the room, looking around carefully, when suddenly she found herself pinned to the floor by a rather short person, whom she couldn't see clearly. When she looked to her left, she saw an opened locker. The person must have jumped out of it.

'Akamatsu-san, are you okay?' Saihara's voice called out to her from the doorway.

'They...kidnapped actual children, too?' she asked weakly. The peson on top of her scoffed and crossed their arms.

'Did you just call me a child? How foolish of you,' they complained and got up to their feet, with her following suit, and the two stood face-to face. Piercing purple eyes looked up at her from beneath messy dark bangs. 'Do I look like a kid to you?'

'Kind of?' she said hesitantly, eyeing the person in front of her – a short boy of about five foot two, wearing baggy, torn clothes, with black hair sticking out in all directions, resembling an octopus.

'That's so rude,' he whined he puffed out his cheeks, leaning forward in a futile attempt to look intimidating. 'I'm probably older than you.'

'I'm...sorry?' she apologised, looking back at the locker. 'You were hiding there, weren't you?' As she asked, she thought to herself that he's not particularly good at acting his age.  
'Yup!' he tapped the locker proudly. 'You should have seen your face. Did I surprise you? Did I?'

'I think that's enough,' a deeper voice interrupted from the side, quiet steps making their way towards Akamatsu, taking form of an even shorter man wearing a leather jacket and a cat-eared hat. 

'Aww, Hoshi-chan, really?' the other boy sighed with disappointment, walking over towards him. 'Thanks for not warning them, though,' he added, grinning.

Akamatu felt a certain sense of deja vu. 'Hoshi-kun, right? You were here the enrire time?'

'Yup,' the other boy answered instead, 'Hoshi-chan is even shorter than me, so you didn't notice him,' he explained matter-of-factly. Indeed, there was a noticeable height difference between them, about a foot.

'I see,' Akamatsu said slowly, as Saihara quietly walked over towards her. 'I guess we should introduce ourselves,' she added with a smile that was just a bit too wide to be normal, 'I'm Akamatsu Kaede, and I'm a pianist. Hoshi-kun?'

Hoshi pulled his hat over his eyes and answered slowly. 'Hoshi Ryouma. Tennis player.'

'Really?' Akamatsu tilted her head. 'I would expect a tenis player to be...' she paused awkwardly.

'Taller?' Hoshi guessed. 'I always get that,' he sighed, 'wish people would stop judging others based on appearance,' he scoffed, looking at his own feet.

'Right? It's soooo unfair,' the other boy whined, balancing on his feet. 'That seems to be your problem, Akamatsu-chan,' he pointed his finger at her accusingly. 'You mistook me for a kid, but really I'm Ouma Kokichi, the supreme leader,' he finished in a singsongy voice.

'...Supreme leader?' she repeated suspiciously, keeping her eyes on the extended finger. 'You don't seem like-'

'See? You're doing it again. That's a really bad habit, Akamatsu-chan. You wouldn't want to mess with a secret organisation with over ten thousand members, you know?'

'Ten thousand...?' Akamatsu stared at him, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. Hoshi rolled his eyes, as if he'd had heard all that before.

'I've never heard of an organisation like that in this country,' Saihara remarked skeptically. Ouma turned his attention towards him for the first time.

'Of course you haven't, gloomy hat-chan. That's why it's called a secret organisation,' he explained matter-of-factly, putting his hands behind his head. 'Who might you be, anyway?'

'Saihara Shuuichi, detective,' he responded automatically.

Ouma's cat-like eyes lit up. 'Detective, huh? I've always wanted to be caught by a detective!' he exclaimed.

Saihara shook his head and looked away. 'I'm not a very good detective. I don't really like being one...I barely count, anyway...'

'Boo. That's lame,' Ouma stuck out his tongue, seemingly losing interest. 'Anyway, maybe you're right to doubt me? I'm a liar after all.'

Akamatsu eyed him suspiciously. 'So your organisation is a lie?'

'Oh, no, it's real,' he assured, before putting his finger up to his lips. '...Or is it?'

'Alright, good to meet you guys, but I don't think you're getting much out of him,' Hoshi remarked, looking up at him with a sigh. 'He's been like this from the start. It's kind of annoying.'

'Aww, that's mean, Hoshi-chan,' Ouma frowned, 'you know you love it!'

Hoshi loudly cleared his throat. 'Anyway, remember to not take anything at face value here. Not the people, not the building, nothing. You'll regret it.'

'Can I have one last question before we leave?' Akamatsu looked him in the eyes.

'Why not. Shoot,' Hoshi agreed as Ouma sat up on the desk behind him.

'Can you tell me what's the last thing you remember?'

'We went through that,' Ouma said with a smirk, 'last we both remember is getting accepted into a school for our talents. Then we woke up in this classroom liiiiiiike,' he paused, 'ten minutes ago? I guess this must be the school,' he remarked with a grin.

'I see,' Saihara whispered, 'everyone so far has been the same.'

'We should go check with everyone else,' Akamatsu decided. 'Are you two going too?'

'I kind of want to see if any more people come in so I can jump out at them, to be honest,' Ouma mused, poking his chin. 'Waiting for people is less of a pain in the ass than walking,' he added with a pout.

Hoshi shrugged. 'You go ahead. Don't worry about us.'

Akamatsu and Saihara made their way towards the door, and as she was about to close it Ouma's voice followed her: 'Don't forget to knock next time!'

'Ouma-kun is a lot, isn't he?' Akamatsu remarked.

'That's one way to put it,' Saihara sighed deeply.

'I think he's funny, though,' she added with a chuckle. Saihara didn't respond.

The room opposite the classroom they had just left was locked, as was the next one down. Neither of them could make out what the rooms were for, and there didn't seem to be any way to open them at the moment, even with brute force. Soon they entered a wide area consisting of a rather big potted plant, surrounded by some benches forming a circle around it. There were two people sitting on the benches, and one towering over them, nearly as tall as the plant.

'...and that shows God is everywhere around us,' one of the people, a dark-skinned girl with white hair, was finishing her sentence.

'Gonta never thought about it this way,' responded the giant man, looking up towards the ceiling.

'Oh, look, someone is coming!' the girl exclaimed, looking straight at Akamatsu, causing her to blush slightly. She had only seen two women so far, and they were both breathtaking. She smiled  
back at the girl and waved her hand.

'Hello, new friends,' the girl got up from her seat and walked towards them. Her bright teal eyes drilled into Akamatsu's, causing her to shudder. Somehow, it was obvious that this girl knows too much, although it wasn't obvious what exactly it is that she knows. Her smile was of the sort that betrays a peculiar mental state. Akamatsu gulped.

'Yeah, hi,' she said weakly, 'that's a huge tree,' she remarked right afterwards, looking up.

'Isn't it amazing?' the girl clapped her hands cheerfully. 'Angie thinks that this plant is a gift from God to unite the group!'

'Is that so?' Saihara hummed, deep in thought.

'Of course. We will need to take care of it, after all. We can't let it die, now can we?' she reasoned Akamatsu felt herself getting lost in the other girl's eyes, and she wasn't sure how she feels about that.

'Angie explained it to Gonta, too,' the giant added, with a surprisingly gentle voice. 'Gonta thinks it's beautiful.'

'It's pretty cool, but I'm not sure if it's a sign from God,' the other person sitting on the bench, a tall man wearing a purple jacket, interrupted. Akamatsu looked at his hairstyle, some sort of an upwards perm, and wondered how much gel he rubs into it everyday.

'Kaito, believe Angie on this,' the girl said softly with an angelic smile of unsettling benevolence. 'It must be a sign.'

'Maybe it's a sign from the universe,' he agreed, getting up from the bench to join them, 'I wouldn't know anything about that.'

'Admitting ignorance is the first step. Angie is proud of you,' she said in a voice that seemed vaguely condescending yet terrifyingly sincere. 'Anyway, Angie thinks we should exchange names so we can all become acquaintances, and then – friends!' she clasped her hands together and looked into Akamatsu's eyes.

'My name is Akamatsu Kaede, I'm a pianist,' she replied, automatically at this point.

'That's a wonderful name, Kaede! Yonaga Angie is mine,' she responded, grabbing Akamatsu's hand. 'Angie is an artist. She wasn't born in Japan, but she moved here a few years ago to live with her family, and she finds it very inspiring,' she added proudly.

'Oh! That makes sense,' Akamatsu nodded. The warmth of Angie's hand spread from her palm throughout the rest of her body. 'I'd love to see your art later, if you don't mind.'

'Oh, of course. Angie would love to show you!' she assured, finally letting go of Akamasu's hand. She gestured towards the giant man to let him know it's his turn.

'Gokuhara Gonta, nice to meet you! Gonta is an entomologist,' he said with pride. 'Akamatsu-san, do you like bugs?'

She took a long hard look into his face. The eyes behind the glasses seemed gentle – but with a hint of something else, something unsettling bubbling beneath the surface. One wrong move, the eyes said, and there will be no sign of gentleness left. She felt Saihara elbow her gently, prompting her to answer.

'Bugs? Yeah they're...interesting!' she made a desperate attempt. Gonta's face lit up immediately.

'Really? Gonta can teach you all about them!' he offered excitedly.

'Angie thinks that's a wonderful idea for later, but we should let Kaito introduce himself.'

'My turn? Sure,' the man she called Kaito smiled nonchalantly as he began his introduction. 'I'm Momota Kaito, Luminary of the Stars!'

Akamatsu tilted her head. 'Is that an actual title?'

'Well, it's fitting, isn't it?' he scratched the back of his head with his hand. 'I'm an astronaut, but that's a less impressive title.'

'Less impressive?!' Akamatsu loked at his hair again. Suppose it defies gravity, then. At this point, she would believe it. 'No, it's amazing!'

'How did you become an astronaut at such a young age?' Saihara interrupted. 'I assumed it would be impossible.'

'Normally, it would be, but I'm a special case!' he admitted proudly. 'It's a long story, thought, so I'll save it for later.'

'Sure,' Akamatsu nodded as Saihara squinted at him suspiciously. 'We'll have plenty of time to learn about each other. It's your turn, Saihara-kun!'

Saihara inhaled deeply. It was obvious that he's progressively less happy having to share his talent with everyone. 'I'm Saihara Shuuichi, and I'm a detective.'

'That's everyone, then!' Angie announced excitedly.

'We've talked to everyone on this floor,' Akamatsu mused. 'I see a staircase over here, this one isn't closed off so we can actually go downstairs, Saihara-kun.'

'Angie will see you later,' she assured, waving at them from the bench.

Akamatsu and Saihara looked at each other in silence before heading downstairs.


	3. Introductions 2

Akamatsu and Saihara descended down the stairs. Apparently, there was another floor below the one they found themselves on, but, much like the other staircase, it was closed off.

This floor seemed...bigger, somehow. There were many more doors to check out. Akamatsu looked back. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling caused by the unavailable staircase – which floor were they even on, then? She decided to see if there were any windows on this floor that could clear up the confusion. She felt her headache coming back again, but she attempted to shke it off, taking a sharp turn towards the door on the right. Saihara followed her in silence.

Behind the door was a warehouse – the biggest room they have seen so far. Lined with shelves, filled with all sorts of things, some of which Akamatsu couldn't identify. She tiptoed forward in a defensive stance. Voices could be heard in the back.

'Iruma-san, please be careful!'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever, just hold still!'

Akamatsu followed the voices, leading her to the odd display in the back of the warehouse – two people, one giving the other a piggyback ride. The person on the top was a long-haired blonde woman wearing a hot pink uniform, cackling to herself. The person on the bottom, however...huh?

'Excuse me?' Akamatsu called out, causing the woman to nearly fall off. She breathed heavily and turned her head around.

'What the fuck do you think you're doing? Is this sabotage?' she growled, holding onto the shelves. She then leapt off the other person's shoulders, landing right in front of Akamatsu. 'Hmm? Did you want me to have a heart attack and die?'

'Iruma-san, could you please not do that again?' the other person pleaded, grabbing their head. To be fair, 'person' might not be the right word.

'Excuse me, are you...?' Akamatsu addressed them, ignoring the threat standing in front of her.

'I expected that you would ask! Indeed, I'm a robot! My name is Kiibo!' they rested their hands on their hips.

'Oh.' Akamatsu eyed their body – it was pretty humanoid, but definitely too metallic to be mistaken for flesh. Their face was rather pleasant to look at, with big blue eyes looking at her innocently. Everything about this robot was near-perfectly human-like, but quintessentially inanimate. For the second time that day, Akamatsu felt vaguely uneasy under another person's gaze. 'Cool. Can I touch-'

'Back off!' a hand grabbed hers and held it up. 'Only I can touch him,' the other woman growled. The robot waved his hands defensively.

'I'd rather neither of you touch me!' he exclaimed nervously. Akamatsu could have sworn that he was sweating.

'And I'd rather you not touch me,' Akamatsu added, staring the other girl in the eyes as she yanked her hand out of the grip. 'Who are you, anyway?'

The other girl's eyes widened in surprise. 'You don't know who I am? Really? Do you live under a rock or what?' she brought her fist up to her chest. 'I'm the great Iruma Miu, golden girl genius, the best inventor in the world!' she exclaimed proudly.

'Nope. Never heard of you.' Akamatsu shook her head and looked back at Saihara. 'Have you Saihara-kun?'

'Me? Uh,' he flinched, being put on the spot suddenly. 'It doesn't ring any bells,' he shrugged. Iruma narrowed her eyes at him.

'Hey, shrimpy,' she pointed her finger at him, 'were you just checking out my tits?'

'H-huh?' he tensed up, his pale face turning pink. 'N-no I wasn't...'

'I know you were. Can't really blame ya, they're gorgeous, like the rest of me,' she said, puffing her chest out, 'but appreciate them openly, yknow? Don't just stare at them from underneath that stupid hat like some sorta perv.'

'Hey, leave my hat alone,' Saihara raised his voice for the first time, grabbing onto his hat defensively.

'Eek!' Iruma shuddered and waved her hands. 'No need to take it personally! Anyway,' she cleared her throat, 'you were staring at them too, weren't you?' she looked at Akamatsu. 'No wonder, since yours are so small,' she remarked, cackling into her hand.

'That's a seriously low blow,' Akamatsu glared at her before looking down at her own chest. 'But yeah, I was,' she admitted. Iruma was wearing a U-cut pink shirt under ratty overalls. It was hard not to stare. 'Anyway, what are you doing here? What were you looking for?'

'Oh, you know.' Iruma waved her hand vaguely. 'Lookin' for something.'

'Like what?' Akamatsu pressed, leaning forward.

'...Booze,' Iruma blurted out, defeated.

'Huh?' Kiibo looked at her in shock. 'But you told me you were looking for spare parts, Iruma-san?'

''Cause I was.' She shrugged. 'But that's not everything there is to life, you know? In terms of parts, I'm pretty set!' she puffed out her chest again.

'You can't drink! You're underage!' Akamatsu groaned.

'Who's gonna check?' Iruma shrugged and stuck out her tongue. 'There's no law here, other than what we make it. Who are you to lecture me, anyway? I don't even know your fuckin' name!'

'Akamatsu Kaede. I'm a pianist,' she responded immediately.

'And this emo twink over here?' she inquired, pointing at Saihara.

'Saihara Shuuichi. Detective,' he said with a sigh.

'Oh, fuck,' Iruma whispered with a shudder, 'y'gonna tell the cops?'

'I don't have any power here. Or anywhere. I barely count as a detective,' he explained.

'Oh, thank fuck,' she sighed with relief. 'Anyway, Kiibs, lift me up again. I gotta keep lookin'.'

'I will not help with illegal activities!' he protested, taking a step away from her.

'There's a ladder over here,' Saihara pointed out without thinking. Iruma grinned and grabbed it. She was probably going to spend the entire day there.

Akamatsu and Saihara left without a word.

They passed by the bathroom – Akamatsu now remembered there was one on the other floor too, but she didn't pay much attention to it. She decided to check them out on her own later.

There were some locked rooms on this floor as well. She wondered when, if ever, they would open. Were they being renovated or just unavailable for no reason? She filed that away in the depths of her brain.

The next room they entered turned out to be a library. There was something cozy about it that Akamatsu couldn't put her finger on. She wasn't the kind of person to visit such places a lot, having spent most of her life playing the piano. She did read sometimes, however – she couldn't help wondering if there were any books about music there.

'Hey, someone joined us,' a voice could be heard from behind some of the bookshelves. Two people came out to greet Akamatsu and Saihara, and one of them was perhaps more unnerving than anybody they'd met thus far.

'What's up?' the less unnerving one called out. Akamatsu immediately felt attached to the green-haired man in front of her.

'I'm good, except for the 'being kidnapped and locked away' thing,' she answered snarkily. It was almost calming to be asked such a down-to earth question in this place. The man chuckled.

'Yeah, just about the same for me,' he admitted, playing with his hair.

'It's truly a peculiar state we're in,' the other person spoke for the first time. Akamatsu couldn't make sense of their outfit – it covered them from head to toe, leaving only the upper half of their face exposed.

'I hope we'll get an explanation eventually,' Akamatsu sighed. 'I guess until then we can just try to get each other.' She bowed her head slightly. 'I'm Akamatsu Kaede, pianist.'

'Shinguuji Korekiyo,' the mysterious figure stared at her intently with his hypnotizing green eyes. She wished she could tell what his facial expression was. 'I'm an ethnologist.'

'That's interesting,' Akamatsu blurted out weakly. 'Saihara-kun?' She had already learned that he needed prompting. It was mildly inconveniencing, but she decided to complain later.

'Saihara Shuuichi, detective,' he said automatically, playing with the bill of his hat.

'Amami Rantarou,' the green-haired man said with an odd smile. 'And I don't think I'm anything special, really.'

'Huh?' Akamatsu tilted her head. 'what do you mean?'

'What you heard,' he said with a shrug. 'Everyone else I've talked to so far had a talent or a skill to tack onto their introduction. I don't think I do, I'm honestly just a regular guy.'

'What's the last thing you can remember from before you got here?' Saihara asked.

'Nothing specific, really. I remember school. Home. Stuff like that. Pretty boring memories.'

'That's really weird...' Akamatsu looked into his eyes hesitantly.

'I know that sounds really suspicious,' he admited with a self-deprecating giggle, 'but I promise I'm not suspicious. Maybe someone made a mistake...?'

'I guess we'll find out,' Akamatsu said hopefully, 'until then, I promise I will believe you!' she assurred, pumping her fists. She looked back at Saihara from the corner of her eye, but all she saw was a perfect poker face.

'Thanks,' he said gently. 'I appreciate it. I can't really help it if someone doesn't believe me, though. I'll have to live with that.'

'I'll convince them!' she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.

'You're a really optimistic person, Akamatsu-san,' Shinguuji pointed out.

'I guess so. I just want to believe things are going to be alright, no mater what,' she said with a bright smile. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not.

'That's a useful mindset for our situation,' Amami said, letting go of her hand.

'It sure is! I better not see you sulking!' she pointed at him . 'I guess we should investigate the rest of the floor.'

'You do that,' Amami nodded, 'I'll stay here and try to see if I can remember anything.'

'And I will keep looking into the collection here,' Shinguuji added, 'it's most fascinating.'

Akamatsu and Saihara left. The next door that wasn't locked led to the cafeteria and kitchen joint. A huge, round table  
stood in the middle of the room, slightly to the left. On its right stood a counter, separating it from the kitchenette. Kneeling in front of the counter was a beautiful young maid, cleaning something there. Akamatsu gasped.

'Hello?' she called out to the maid, who got up from her knees and curtsied.

'Hello,' she responded, in a voice so soft that it made Akamatsu's knees weak. 'Would either of you want a cup of tea? I have just made some,' she added.

'Oh, yes, please!' Akamatsu exclaimed, clapping her hands. 'That would be lovely. I've been getting thirsty from all this walking around.' Saihara shook his head. Perhaps he didn't want to be a bother.

'Excuse me for a minute,' she said, bringing back a cup of tea after a few seconds. The warmth spread from Akamatsu's hands to the rest of her body. She hadn't realised how much she craved it.

'You're so pretty,' she said sincerely, admiring the girl's flowing hair and her gentle face. She could have sword her cheeks turned red just then. 'What's your name?'

'Thank you.' She bowed with a smile. 'My name is Toujou Kirumi. As you can see, I am a maid. I'm pleased to meet you.'

'You bet I'm pleased too,' Akamatsu blurted out. 'I'm Akamatsu Kaede. I play the piano!'

'I'd love to hear you play sometime, Akamatsu-san,' she assured before turning towards Saihara. 'May I ask your name as well?'

'Saihara Shuuichi. I'm a detective,' he answered. Her expression changed almost unnoticeably.

'It was a pleasure to meet you both. However, I must return to my duties, if you'll excuse me.'

'Your duties?' Akamatsu asked.

'Yes. I must make preparations.'

'Oh...' she looked down at her own feet. 'I guess we shouldn't get in your way. I just hope you won't overwork yourself, though.'

'Don't worry about me. I'm used to it. I will see you later.'

Akamatsu left the cafteria reluctantly. In fact, Saihara dragged her out by the arm.

They headed towards the nearest door, which led to the gym. It seemed to be about as big as the warehouse. Akamatsu noticed that it included a tennis court to the side. Hoshi-kun will appreciate it...maybe.

There were two girls standing in the middle of the gym, looking around curiously. The taller one, with herr hair styled into two long braids, noticed the pair and adopted a battle stance, staring at them fiercely.

'HIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAH!' she exclaimed, making a chopping motion. Akamatsu jumped back, nearly bumping into Saihara.

'What are yoou doing?!' she asked in confusion.

'Tenko is practicing her battle cry!' she explained proudly. 'It keeps one's spirits up!'

'I-I see,' Akamatsu smiled awkwardly.

'Tenko, do you have to be so loud,' the shorter girl complained, putting her fingers into her ears. 'Could you keep it down a few notches, perhaps?'

'Ah, my apologies, Yumeno-san,' she whispered for a change, 'Tenko will try to control her volume.'

'Hmmm,' she hummed gratefully.

'A-anyway,' Akamatsu interrupted, 'a battle cry? Are you some sort of a warrior...um...?'

'Tenko's name is Chabashira Tenko! She is the master of neo-aikido!' she explained, in something that was simultaneously a whisper and a yell. 'It's her own take on aikido!'

'Aikido? I never expected such a cute girl to be a martial artist,' Akamatsu remarked.

'C-cute?' Tenko squealed waved her hands defensively. 'Tenko isn't cute! She sneezes super loudly...and talks in her sleep...and...'

'I think all of those things are cute! You're definitely cute, Chabashira-san!' Akamatsu turned towards Saihara enthusiastically.

'Huh? I, uh...' he cleared his throat. 'Sure.'

Akamatsu turned towards Tenko, who was no longer squealing, instead she was looking down with a frown.

'Tenko doesn't care what menaces think about her,' she said apathetically. 'Whether it's positive or not.'

'Menaces...you mean men?' Akamatsu tilted her head.

'Yes. Tenko doesn't care about them and their opinions at all!' she confirmed, balling her hands into fists. 'Why don't you introduce yourself, Yumeno-san?' she added gently.

'Nyeh...I guess I have to. What a pain,' the shorter girl sighed. 'Mine is the name Yumeno Himiko. I am a powerful mage.'

'Mage?' Akamatsu raised her eyebrows. 'Like...magic, really?'

Yumeno stared at her, seemingly not blinking. 'Yes, magic. There are some who call me a magician instead, for they do not understand my powers or dismiss them.'

'So, magic is real?' Akamatsu struggled to understand.

'It is. Do you not believe in magic?' Yumeno looked at her and then at Saihara.

'I never did until now,' Akamatsu admitted cautiously.

'Neither did I. Could you prove it to us?' Saihara suggested, avoiding eye contact with Tenko.

'That's a great idea, Saihara-kun!' Akamatsu exclaimed, relieved. 'Yumeno-san, could you do some magic?'

'Right now?' Yumeno put her finger up to her chin. 'No can do. But I shall later. Just you wait.'

'That's a wonderful idea! I can't wait to watch your magic show, Yumeno-san!' Tenko exclaimed, clapping her hands.

'Okay then, for now, can you give me an example of' soomething you can do?' Akamatsu asked.

'I can summon animals. I'm also pretty good at card-related stuff,' she said proudly, although her expression barely changed.

Akamatsu and Saihara exchanged glances and decided to move on. They only had one area left to examine – the dorms. They were at the end of the corridor that began outside the gym. Outside the dorm area, they ran into a girl, who appeared to be going the same way.

'Hello!' Akamatsu greeted the girl. The response was a scowl that nearly made her take a step back. She cleared her throat and tried again. 'it seems we're going the same way. Want to go together?'

The other girl hesitated, avoiding eye contact. Eventually, she nodded, watching Akamatsu and Saihara carefully.

'Ah, if it's not a problem, could we get introduced?' Akamatsu suggested. 'My name is Akamatsu Kaede, I'm a pianist. This is Saihara Shuuichi, he's a detective,' she added quickly, catching a glimpse of his surprised but grateful face.

'Harukawa Maki. Child caregiver,' was the response. Akamatsu's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

'Child caregiver? I never would have guessed,' she admitted. The outfit was one she could easily associate with such a position – modest, muted shades of red and brown, a jacket over a sweater, a knee-length skirt and knee socks. Her hair, brown, striaght and waist-length, was also fitting. Her attitude, however...

'I know.' Harukawa paused and looked down. 'I get that a lot. Most people expect someone more...open.'

'I guess so. But,' Akamatsu said as she smiled sincerely, 'I think you're wonderful despite that. The children definitely saw that too.'

At that moment, a loud noise rang throughout the building, followed by static. And then...

'All students are requested to gather at the gymnasium. All students are requested to gather at the gymnasium. All students are requested to gather at the gymnasium.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/531970536486469633/unknown.png Link to the map y'all~ since it's too big for the body oops


	4. Prologue: end

Akamatsu and Saihara enterd the gym again. Some of the others were already there, nervously looking around or desperately faking confidence. Soon, everyone was there, the last pair consisting of Kiibo struggling to convince Iruma to come inside, while she complained about being interrupted.

The door closed behind them.

Akamatsu balled her hands into fists and glanced to her left – where she saw Saihara, who silently looked at the floor, and to her right – where her eyes met the cat-like ones belonging to Ouma, who tilted his head away from her slightly and smirked. She shuddered and looked forward with determination.

Whatever was coming was not good. The hushed conversations around her got progressively quieter and eventually died entirely. She subconsciously held her breath.

'WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL, YOU BASTARDS!'

A voice echoed in the gym, sending shivers down everyone's spines. Akamatsu looked around again. The voice didn't belong to any of them. Who was it, and where were they? She noticed Ouma was watching her from the corner of his eye, but she didn't have the time to humour or scold him.

Angie's finger shot forward. 'Everyone, look!'

Fifteen pairs of eyes followed the directions in perfect sync.

Right in front of them, something shot up from behind the cathedral and landed in front of it.

'Is that...?' a hesitant voice whispered.

'Welcome, you bastards! Hope you enjoy your new school experience!' The same scratchy voice from before. This time coming out of...

'…a teddy bear?' Angie's cheerful voice asked.

'I don't think that's a regular teddy bear,' Hoshi remarked cautiously. 'They usually don't talk.'

'That's correct, I'm not a teddy bear!' The bear exposed its sharp claws threateningly. 'I'm Monokuma,' it explained.

'Monokuma...?' Akamatsu tilted her head.

'I think that it's an AI, like me,' Kiibo pointed out nervously from the back.

'So it's a...robotic teddy bear?' Akamatsu muttered under her breath.

'More importantly, I'm you bastards' headmaster!' Monokuma grinned, exposing sharp teeth. Indeed, it wasn't a regular soft plush toy. It was...unnerving. 'This is my school and I make the rules!'

'Headmaster?' Toujou asked firmly.

'That's right! And you're my students! My Super High Schoo Level students!'

'Super High School Level?' some voices muttered.

'All of you possess exceptional talents. You know, the ones that got recognised by the school? They make you Super High School Level inserttalentheres! How could you forget? Oh, right...upu, upupupu...' Monokuma covered his mouth with his paw.

'Hey!' Momota took a step forward. 'What's so funny?'

'Oh, you are, obviously.' The bear grinned. 'So naive, so unaware...I almost pity you. Almost. Anyway, maybe this will rush your memories,' he said condescendingly, approaching all the students and handing every one of them a small black tablet.

'What are these?' Akamatsu asked suspiciously, staring at the blank screen.

'Your student IDs, of course,' Monokuma explained. 'Well, they're more than that, but for now let's stick with that. They're a vital part of your existence here, so don't lose or break them, or I will have to exterminate you. That's not a joke. Speaking of...' He grinned. 'I bet you're dying to know why you're here, hm?'

'Get to the fucking point already! I have better things to do than listen to a fuckin' stuffed toy!' Iruma's voice called out. Akamatsu flinched. Next to her, Ouma softly hid his face against his head, as if trying not to laugh.

'Oh, really, Iruma-san?' Monokuma turned towards her, his eye shining with bloodlust, as his cold machanical voice droned on. 'I think soon you'll have other things to worry about than your inventions. Because, you see...' he paused. 'You are all in a killing game! Congratulations!'

Thud! Iruma's legs gave out and she fell onto the floor. Kiibo and Tenko immediately jumped in to help her back up. Akamatsu looked back long enough to notice that she appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

'Killing game? What are you talking about!' Akamatsu yelled at Monokuma, whose unchanging expression was starting to get on her nerves.

'You heard me right,' Monokuma explained, unaffected. 'You've been locked here so you can kill each other! Sounds like fun, doesn't it?'

'That's absurd,' Toujou protested calmly, while Shirogane turned pale next to her.

'Yeah, it is! We'r not gonna kill each other!' Momota yelled with confidence.

'We're not going to paticipate in any killing game!' Akamatsu added, puffing out her cheeks.

'Ah, denial. I expected that. So cute of you to believe you have a choice. I can't wait to watch you break under pressure!' The bear threw his head back in a terrifying laugh.

'We won't!' Akamatsu stomped her foot in frustration.

'And how do you plan to carry that out, exactly? Are you planning to escape? I don't know if you noticed, but there are no doors leading outside here. You're locked. Forever. Your life and death depends on me...and your classmates, of course!'

'No doors...' Akamatsu whispered. 'And no windows...'

To be precise, there were windows, but they weren't exactly made to escape through, being small and located too high to reach. She kept track of them.

'There must be a door somewhere! We got inside somehow, right? Besides,' she added, resting her hands on her hips, 'that still isn't a reason to kill anyone.'

'For you, maybe,' Monokuma remarked, 'but remember not everyone thinks like you. At least one person in this room might already be considering it. And there's nohing you can do to stop them.'

Everyone looked at each other suspiciously. Akamatsu's eyes met Ouma's. She couldn't tell what they were trying to tell her at all, but she got the distinct feeling that he's just as scared as he is as he bit his lip. Then, she turned towards Saihara, whose hazel eyes seemed almost accusatory until he nodded hesitantly, giving her a faint smile. She took a deep breath and looked at Monokuma again.

'Something is off here,' Amami said, deep in thought. 'I think we should listen to the bear. This way we'll at least know more.'

'Agreed,' Hoshi nodded. 'Let's hear him out.'

'You menaces are way too calm!' Tenko scoffed, still holding Iruma up.

Akamatsu groaned but then she nodded at Monokuma. 'Tell us about the killing game,' she asked.

'Now we're talking,' Monokuma cackled. 'Okay, listen up, you bastards! You've been chosen to participate in a killing game! But it's not as simple as 'you have to kill people'! There are rules you have to follow, so pay attention!'

'Aw man,' Ouma muttered, 'rules are so boring! This would be much more fun without them.'

'PAY ATTENTION! After a body is discovered, an investigation period will commence! After it's over, all of you will participate in the class trial, where you will try to find out who did it! If you find he right culprit, they will be punished! If you accuse the wrong person, the true culprit wins, they can leave, and everyone else gets executed! Are we clear?'

'Almost,' Shinguuji's nasally voice murmured from beind his mask. 'May I ask what you mean by punishment?'

'Why, public execution, of course! So flashy, so fitting!'

Akamatsu felt the colour draining from her face.

'How long is the investigation period?' she asked hoarsely.

'It depends. But I assure you it's going to be fair, if that's what you're worried about. Speaking of, every killing method is allowed. Poisoning? Clubbing? Strangulation? Stabbing? Shooting? Take your pick, and make it good! I'm counting on you to put on a good show!' Monokuma laughed maniacally. 'Anyway, if there aren't any more questions, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go. I'm so terribly busy, you see.'

Silence was the answer.

None of them noticed when Monokuma disappeared.

Nobody moved for a long while.

Akamatsu stood still with her eyes closed, repeating a mantra in her head.

I will not participate in the killing game. I will not participate in the killing game. I will not participate in the killing game. 

PROLOGUE: END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry that I took a while to update and that this one is shorter!  
> In the meantime, I had prepared some redesigns of the characters based on my descriptions  
> Tenko: https://66.media.tumblr.com/9475dd7159bc620f9070291b1a1070ca/tumblr_pl0ynh3UZl1r2gkoio1_500.png  
> Maki: https://66.media.tumblr.com/060783c565f0c3e72e78eb039bdcd507/tumblr_pl18kqZCwf1r2gkoio1_500.png  
> Shirogane: https://66.media.tumblr.com/dc6b7ec3b9ee73c2445dcdeaa829e9a8/tumblr_pl4ltkfPFG1r2gkoio1_500.png  
> Iruma: https://66.media.tumblr.com/22fbd2de623f5b0a65abc58662d9d54b/tumblr_pl4ltkfPFG1r2gkoio2_500.png  
> Momota: https://66.media.tumblr.com/0b218ee1f12e022f4c8219c59715878c/tumblr_pl4tizHQAS1r2gkoio1_500.png


	5. Chapter 1: start

Ping.

The noise came from her tablet, along with all the other ones in the room. It appeared to have booted up by itself.

Taken out of her daze, she looked down at the screen, which was currently set to the 'rules' tab. So, there are going to be more. Wonder if all of them are related to the dreaded killing game.

Shuddering, she tapped it with her finger, proceeding to scroll through the disheartening bulletpoints, accompanied by cutesy minimalistic animations that would be charming had the context been less twisted.

Rules:

1\. Community life at the school is not time-restricted.  
2\. The students may investigate the building freely.  
3\. If a murder occurs on school grounds, a Class Trial will be held amongst the participants.  
4\. If the guilty party is correctly identified, they alone shall be punished.  
5\. If the guilty party is not identified correctly, every member of the innocent party shall be punished. In that case, the guilty party will be considered victorious and allowed to graduate and leave for the outside world.  
6\. The gym and cafeteria will be closed during nighttime: between 10pm and 8am. Announcements will be made to signify the start and end of nighttime.  
7\. Any violence towards the headmaster, Monokuma, is prohibited.  
8\. Students must not lose or destroy their Electronic Student IDs.  
9\. The headmaster reserves the right to add rules if necessary.

_So...this is all serious. We're really expected to kill each other...I won't let that happen...I refuse..._

'We're not going to kill each other,' Akamatsu muttered under her breath.

CHAPTER 1:  
ROUND THE HARMONY TREE

Soon, everyone was done reading the rules. Silence continued for a short while.

'So, I guess those are the rules of this place,' Hoshi broke the silence.

'Seems so,' Amami muttered next to him.

'I thought they'd be worse,' Ouma admitted with a smirk, 'but they might make this whole thing fun.'

'That's not wht you should be concerned with,' Tenko sneered.

'Who gives a fuck about the rules?' Momota raised his voice, holding his ID up. 'We shouldn't play by whatever shitty rules these psychos give us!' He made a motion as if he was trying to throw his ID on the ground, when Amami grabbed his wrist.

'Calm down,' he said firmly, narrowing his eyes. 'I get it, but you wouldn't want to break it.'

'It's against the rules,' Gonta added solemnly.

Momota yanked his arm out of Amami's grip. 'Whatever! I don't give a fuck what the rules say, I'm not gonna play by them!'

'I wonder what the punishment for breaking that rule is...' Ouma's lips curled into a sadistic smile. 'Maybe they're going to throw you into a dungeon and torture you...Nishishi~'

'Are you getting off to that, sicko?' Iruma evidently came to upon hearing all the commotion, wriggling her way out of Tenko's arms. 'Guess I can't really judge but I don't need to fuckin' hear it. As for this guy,' she spat, pointing at Momota, 'we might as well let him do whatever he wants. It's just gonna be one less idiot in the room. Can't say I'd fuckin' mourn,' she added, sticking her tongue out.

'What the fuck did you just say?' Momota growled, readying his fists.

Akamatsu's head enough. She turned around to face the rest of the group and yelled with all her might. 

'Guys! This is the worst time to be fighting!' Her voice echoed through the gym. Fifteen pairs of eyes turned towards her in shock.

'Wow!' Angie exclaimed, impressed. 'Angie had no idea Kaede could be this loud!'

Akamatsu cleared her throat. She could feel determination filling her.

'Guys,' she continued more calmly, 'I understand that everyone is on edge right now. But we can't just start fighting like that. We should be working together,' her voice was shaking, as were her legs but she knew that she can't give up.

'Agreed,' Amami said, glancing at Momota, who still seemed to be partially in attack mode. 'We have to figure out what we can do within the rules.'

'Tenko agrees as well!' Tenko exclaimed, stomping her foot on the floor. 'You should not fight your comrades, but identify the common enemy and strike against them!'

'Yeah, exactly!' Akamatsu's eyes met Momota's. 'It's not heroic or wise to attack blindly. We need to think. To defeat whoever locked us here. I think...' she hummed, 'we should try to check if there really is no exit. We must have missed it.'

'I agree that an exit must exist,' Kiibo spoke up, 'but we might be cut off from it right now. We can't even be sure which floor we're on, and many rooms are locked off. I believe investigating now might be futile.'

'Hmmm, that's a good point,' Shirogane agreed, nodding slowly. 'Wonder when the rest of the rooms are going to be unlocked...'

'I guess we'll have to see,' Akamatsu sighed. 'But we still can't give up, you know? I'm sure there's a lot we can do. I wish I could motivate everyone to work together with music...' she whispered. 'I believe we can live here in harmony without any murders. We just have to try. Plus,' she added as she looked at Saihara, 'we have a detective on our side.'

'Ya sure?' Iruma asked suspiciously. 'He'd have a pretty easy job coverin' up a murder. That's what I'd do if I were a detective,' she added.

'I wouldn't!' Saihara cried as he grabbed the bill of his hat. 'Iruma-san, this is the second time you've accused me of things!'

'Not my fault you're suspicious,' Iruma said with a shrug. 'All of you are, except Kiibs. No amount of shitty hippie philosophy is gonna change that, Bakamatsu,' she spat.

'Bakamatsu...?' Akamatsu puffed out her cheeks in frustration. 'Whatever. I know it's hard to trust everyone like that. But we have to try! It's easier to survive when there's mutual trust!'

'Angie agrees!' Angie exclaimed cheerfully, raising her hand. 'We should forget about the killing and the exit and just co-exist!' she clasped her hands and smiled brightly.

'I guess for now that's good enough,' Akamatsu decided hesitantly. She wasn't sure if Angie really agreed with her or not, and she wasn't going to check. 'What do you say, everyone? Are you willing to try?'

Exchanged glances. Soft sighs.

Momota scratched the back of his head. 'You more or less said what I'm thinking, except better than I could. Sorry for being a moron earlier.'

'You should be sorry!' Iruma screeched, sticking out her tongue. 'As long as you virgins don't get in my way, I don't care.'

'Oh? Is Iruma-chan not a virgin?' Ouma asked. 'My condolences to whoever took your virginity.'

'Shut the fuck up, you freak!' Iruma was ready to slap the short boy anytime. 'It's not any of your fuckin' business!'

'Anyway,' Amami interrupted quickly, 'I think we're all gonna try. It benefits everyone.'

'Nyeh...I'm fine with whatever too...' Yumeno added.

'While we're all here, may I make a suggestion?' Toujou raised her hand.

'What is it, Toujou-san?' Akamatsu encouraged her.

'To strengthen our bonds, we could have breakfast together every morning around 9am. I would take on the task of preparing it myself.'

'Oh!' Akamatsu's face lit up. 'That's a wonderful idea!'

Toujou nodded. 'I will ask everyone about their preferences later.'

'Perfect,' Akamatsu said approvingly. 'Thank you, everyone. I believe in us!' She assured, pumping her fists.

As the group began leaving the gym, one by one, in pairs, in groups, alone, her expression dropped. She could put on a mask for them all she wanted, but it was harder to lie to herself. She could tell the atmosphere wasn't as good as she would have preferred. All she could do was try to keep it together and hope it will keep the group together at all.

She sighed and looked around. Everyone but her and Saihara left. He appeared to be examining the wall.

'Saihara-kun?'

He flinched and turned towards her nervously.

'What is it, Akamasu-san?' he asked hesitantly.

'I don't mean to ask you uncomfortable questions, so remember you don't have to answer, okay?'

'Okay...?' he was avoiding eye contact. She wasn't sure what to make of his tone, but it sounded vaguely dismissive.

'I spent the entire day with you, Saihara-kun. I noticed some things, and I'm not sure if I'm right about them, so...I prefer to ask, I guess. You don't need to explain yourself, but...' she realised his attitude was causing her to mke more disclaimers than necessary. 'Saihara-kun, why do you not like being a detective?'

She could tell she hit right where she wanted. Saihara's hand began clutching his chest, his face turned pale. He gulped.

'I think...I can tell you, Akamatsu-san. But it's a long story,' he muttered eventually. 'If you don't mind that...'

'I don't,' she assured firmly.

'I'm not really that good of a detective, I'm more of an apprentice, detective in training,' he stared. 'I've already had experiences with criminals, though...that's how I know I'm not good at all...' he paused, recalling a memory. 'You'd assume detectives aren't really affected by the cases, right? They just catch the criminal and turn them in and that's it. B-but...' his voice cracked as he grimaced, 'it's not like that at all. Because sometimes...people have good reasons to commit those things...and you stat feeling like you shouldn't have gotten them caught...'

Akamasu tilted her head. She could understand the sentiment to a degree, but...

'So you hate turning people in because maybe they were justified?'

'More or less...'

'I don't think that's true,' she said firmly. He looked her in the eyes, surprised. 'In fact, I think it's wrong to think that way,' she added

'How so?'

'Saihara-kun...I'll be blunt. Your job is to find people who committed crimes and make sure they get punished. With all due respect,' she emphasised as she pointed her finger at him, 'it's not your job to judge them, whether it's to condemn them or to excuse them.'

'Akamatsu-san, are you saying there are no criminals you can sympathise with?'

'I wouldn't say that,' she said, shaking her head. 'But as a detective, you deal with serious crimes, right? Let's say I committed a murder to get out of here and you caught me. Would you hesitate to tell everyone what you know?'

'I...' he paused. 'I'm not sure. But I wouldn't want to sentence you to death.'

'Well, I'm glad to hear that,' she said with an awkward smile, 'but I don't think that's fair. Even if I had a reason, murder is murder, you know? If I murdered someone, that would mean I know I might get punish. That I deserve to get punished. Besides,' she pointed out, 'you wouldn't be sentencing me to death. You'd be making sure innocent people don't get hurt in my stead.'

'I suppose,' he admitted.

'My point is, you considering the feelings of the criminal isn't helping anybody. Your talent is supposed to keep people safe. Moping about it is the last thing we need,' she added with a shrug. 'It's not about your moral conflict. Sometimes harsh things are necessary.'

'Akamatsu-san...are you implying that I'm being selish?' he asked, narrowing his eyes.

'You know what? Yeah,' she admitted with a nod. 'I'm not saying you can't have feelings or anything. I know it's a huge burden. But you shouldn't worry about it that much.'

'Maybe you're right,' he agreed hesitantly. 'I never thought about it this way. I'll...I'll try to help everyone.'

'Great!' she smiled brightly. 'Don't overthink it. And remember, get me executed if I commit murder.'

'Please don't,' he requested weakly.

'I'll try,' she promised with a chuckle, making her way towards the door, 'I believe we can all get along without anyone dying, anyway.'

'Do you really, Akamatu-san?' he asked suddenly, making her pause, with her smile fading just a bit.

'Of course. There's nothing else, is there? There's no point in doubting everyone all the time,' she replied smoothly. Keeping the mask on. As long as possible. 'Anyway, I think I'm going to go to the dorms now,' she added nonchalantly.

'I'll go soon...' he whispered. 'I just need a moment.'

'Alright,' she hummed, 'I'll see you tomorrow, Saihara-kun.'

'Goodnight, Akamatsu-san.'

She let her legs move on their own. The hall was empty, presumably everyone was already in their dorms. According to the clock she noticed in the gym, it was almost 10pm. Nobody wanted to stay out into the nighttime, she guessed.

She stopped in front of the door to her bedroom. It had her name on it, along with a card reader. She put her ID up to it. That was a good call – the door opened, revealing the inside of her new bedroom. She stumbled in, utterly lacking energy.

She didn't even turn the light on or take her clothes off, merely tossing her backpack onto the floor before falling onto the bed.

She desperately needed sleep.

Before she knew it, she lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the madness starts for real! Thanks to everyone who's been sticking with this rewrite


	6. Chapter 1: Daily Life 1

Akamatsu Kaede opened her eyes.

Initially shocked by her surroundings, she soon remembered what the unfamiliar room was. Her new bedroom, in her new near-abandoned school where she and fifteen strangers were locked and told to kill each other.

She got up from the bed with a groan. Now she could finally take a proper look around the room. Immediately to the right of the bed stood a nightstand with a small nightlight and nothing else. She thought it was a miracle that she didn't bump into it the night before.

The only other pieces of furniture consisted of a closet – which, upon closer inspection, was filled with perfect copies of her current outfit, and a desk with a chair, as well as a water container and trash bin underneath. On the desktop, she noticed a small lamp and a notepad. She grabbed the latter and flipped through the pages, finding it to be blank. It could come in useful later, so she left it there.

Then, she crouched to open the drawers. In the topmost one, she found a key. She looked it over carefully. It appeared to be the key to the room she was in - an alternate way to open it in case something happens to her ID, perhaps? Unsure, she decided to leave it where she found it for now.

There was also a small bathroom consisting of a toilet, a sink, and a shower. There was also a mirror above the sink. She decided to look at her reflection – her first time seeing her own face since she got there, and she didn't know what to expect.

The face that looked at herr from the mirror was definitely tired, but recognisably familiar. Her shoulder-length pale blonde hair was a bit messy, but not quite as bad as it could have been after the night. She combed through it with her fingers until she decided that it looks acceptable. Her face was a bit more pale than she'd like it to be, but that could easily be blamed on the stress.

Right, stress.

She sprinkled water on her face and gently rubbed it in. That ought to wake up anyone.

She looked herself in the eyes. 

Kaede, you should be honest with yourself. Do you think you can handle this? Do you really think these people can work as a group? the eyes in the mirror asked, drilling into her soul mercilessly.

The real Akamatsu shuddered. She didn't break eye-contact with her cynical twin in the mirror, instead smiling confidently.

Are you serious about not participating in the killing game? You're sure you would never kill anyone? the accusatory questions continued.

Akamatsu shrugged at herself. There was no reason to think about this, was there? You have to trust yourself and others, or you'll let paranoia consume you.

Right?

She turned away from the mirror. It was making her entirely too uncomfortable.

Then, she felt the rumbling in her stomach, and remembered she hadn't eaten in a long, long time. She spent the entire day before running on adrenaline, which caused her to forget she needs to drink and eat to survive. Thankfully, she remembered Toujou was going to prepare breakfast. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go and help with that, she figured.

She left the room, entering the empty corridor. Presumably, most people were checking out their rooms just like she'd done. She quickly made her way towards the cafeteria and carefully opened the door.

'Good morning, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou's voice greeted her.

'Good morning, Toujou-san!' she responded with a relieved smile, stepping in and closing the door. 'I hope I'm not interrupting you.'

'It's fine, you are not,' Toujou reassured her. 'In fact, there's something I might use assistance with.'

'Oh, that's what I came here for!' Akamatsu confessed. 'What can I help you with? Tea? Coffee? Cutting vegetables? I can do anything!'

Toujou giggled, turning towards her with a gentle smile. 'I can do all that by myself, Akamatsu-san, it's all right. I have a different favour to ask of you, though.'

'Oh...' Akamatsu smiled awkwardly. 'Sure, what is it then?'

'You see, I said I would keep track of everyone's breakfast preferences and such. However, not everyone seems to want to disclose them or join us this morning, which has been worrying me. Would you be able to check on Iruma-san for me? She's been...' Toujou hesitated, 'isolating herself at the warehouse, and told me to not bother her at work. Perhaps she would be willing to listen to you, though.'

'Oh, I'll see what I can do,' Akamatsu declared, 'but I don't think she'll listen to me, either.'

'I believe she will, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou insisted, with a smile that made Akamatsu's legs weak. 'You have a way with words. I think you got through to her yesterday already, if just a bit.'

'I'm glad you believe in me, but I can't promise anything,' Akamatsu said with a blush. 'Is there anyone else?'

'Harukawa-san and Saihara-kun, I believe. I didn't get the chance to talk to either of them, and they seem to be avoidant as well.'

'Alright, I'll see what I can do,' Akamatsu promised. 'Are you sure you don't need help here?'

'That's what I've been trained to do, Akamatsu-san. I'll be fine. I'm happy like this. Your fingers meanwhile, have been made not for chopping vegetables but for playing the piano'

'I see...I wish I had a piano here,' Akamatsu said, opening the door. 'I'll see you later!'

Once she left, she noticed a new room had opened opposite of the cafeteria. It seemed to be a school ministore. She decided to check it out after breakfast. As her feet led her to the warehouse, she wondered if she really could influence Iruma at all. The two of them had been clashing from the start, and were too stubborn to get along. There was something about the inventor that fascinated her, but even more that irritated her

Eventually, she reached the warehouse and opened the heavy door. It wasn't hard to find Iruma there, as she was sitting behind a big cardboard box in the back, seeming to function as a desk. Akamatsu approached it quickly.

'Iruma-san?' she called out. Iruma turned towards her angrily.

'What the fuck are you doin' here, Bakamatsu, can't you see I'm busy?' she spat out. 'Scram!'

Akamatsu balled her hands into fists and raised her voice in response. 'I'm here to make sure you don't starve! Why do you have to be so rude and vulgar all the time!'

'Eep!' Iruma squeaked, tears forming in her bulging eyes. 'I'm, s-sorry,' she stuttered, avoiding eye contact. 'I'm s-so...s-sorry...' she started hiccuping as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

'N-no, it's okay...I didn't mean to yell...'

Akamatsu stood there in utter confusion, when she heard a voice behind her. 

'What's going on here?' That was Kiibo.

'Oh, Kiibo-kun,' Akamatsu said with relief. 'Have you been here the entire time?'

'Yes!' he confirmed. 'I had to make sure Iruma-san isn't doing anything illegal.'

'He's been following me around like a shadow, but I prefer that over the rest of you losers,' Iruma muttered, back to her normal voice.

'Are you okay, Iruma-san...?' Akamatsu asked carefully.

'Yeah, of course. I'm always okay, as a genius should be,' she scoffed, reaching behind herself. 'Moe imporantly, look what I found!' she exclaimed, drooling, pointing a huge red candle at Akamatsu, who jumped back. 'I'll definitely need to use it in my next project.'

'I'll regret asking, but how?' Akamatsu asked in a shaky voice, staring at the candle suspiciously.

Iruma grinned. 'A wax drippin' machine, of course. Wanna help test it out, Plankmatsu?'

'N-no, thanks,' Akamatsu stuttered, shaking her head furiously. 'Plank...? Oh,' she gasped as she puffed out her cheeks. 'Are you trying to imply I'm flat-'

'A-anyway, Akamaatsu-san!' Kiibo interrupted, desperate to not let the tension rise. 'You said Iruma-san is going to starve...?'

'Oh yeah, what was that about?' Iruma asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

'Toujou-san asked me to check on you because you never told her what you want for breakfast,' she explained. 'And because you've been isolating yourself. Which I agree is not good for you.'

'Oh jeez, that's all?' Iruma rolled her eyes. 'Listen, I don't care. I'll get food if I need it. And I already told you I'm not plannin' to be all buddy-buddy with you guys. I'm kinda busy, y'know?'

Akamatsu's eyes followed her as she walked around the warehouse. 'Have you...not slept?' she asked suddenly.

'Maybe. What of it?' Iruma answered, not looking at her. 'You're wastin' your time. I'm not goin' anywhere.'

Akamatsu sighed and looked back at Kiibo. 'Actually, Kiibo-kun, I had a question for you as well,' she said.

'Ask me whatever you want!' he replied, resting his hands on his hips proudly.

'Yesterday, you said Monokuma might be an AI like you, right? Could you explain it to me in detail?'

'Of course! I think there are two options for what Monokuma might be,' he mused. 'Either he's controlled by someone from the outside, who is speaking to us through him, or he is programmed in a certain way and speaks to us on his own, automatically. In the later case, he would be like me,' he added proudly. 'I'm a learning AI, you see. I pick up information about the world from interacting with people, and they can later use them, although my understanding of certain things, like emotions and gender, will be limited.'

'Oooooooh,' Akamatsu whistled, impressed. 'So, everytime I talk to you, I'm teaching you something? That's cool! Also, wait...' she paused, 'you don't understand gender? But I thought you're, uh...a male robot?'

'That's a common misconception, Akamatsu-san. I am completely genderless, I simply present in what you would consider a masculine way.'

'Oh, that makes sense, yeah.'

'I'm the same, you know?' Monokuma said from behind her. Akamatsu screamed and turned around.

'Don't scare me like that!' she complained. 'How long have you been here for?'

'I'm always there. You just can't always see me,' Monokuma explained with a grin.

'Ugh...' Akamatsu groaned. 'What are you here for, anyway?'

'I heard you were talking about me behind my back. If I were you, I would quit that,' he said flatly, before disappearing as suddenly as he'd come.

Akamatsu shuddered. 'We're always being watched, huh?' she muttered.

'There are cameras all over the school. It appears that someone is watching us through them...it's probably the same person who locked us here,' Kiibo remarked. 'I suppose we should quit talking about it.'

'Yeah, that won't help us now,' she agreed. 'I'm gonna go get breakfast, either of you care to join me?'

Kiibo looked towards Iruma, who was still roaming the shelves without a word. Akamatsu sighed and left without a word.

As she walked through the hallway, the library door suddenly opened, causing her to pause. The person who came out...

'Good morning, Harukawa-san,' Akamatsu said cheerfully, startling the other girl, who clutched the book she was holding against her chest. She looked at Akamatsu from the corner of her eye.

'...Morning,' she muttered. 'Were you trying to scare me?'

'Ah, no...Sorry about that,' Akamatsu smiled awkwardly. 'Are you coming to breakfast?'

Harukawa' looked at her in silence for a while. 'No,' she said at last. Her arms wrapped tightly around the book, catching Akamatsu's attention.

'Oh, did you take a book from the library?'

'That's not something I have tell you about. Goodbye,' Harukawa said coldly, starting to walk towards the dorms. Akamatsu watched her with a deep feeling of sorrow. Something inside her wanted to help the girl who clearly refused to talk to her, even more openly than Iruma. There was something mysterious about her, and she wanted to crack the code.

She entered the cafeteria, where it turned out many of her classmates were already there.

Gonta was at the table, preparing the plates and cutlery. Akamatsu couldn't help but wonder how he convinced Toujou to let him help. She approached him with a smile.

'Good job, Gonta-kun,' she complimented him, looking at the neat composition.

'Thank you, Akamatsu-san,' he said sincerely, finishing the job. 'Gonta wanted to help, because Gonta is a gentleman.'

'Oh?' Akamatsu raised her eyebrows.

'Gonta...grew up to be big and strong, but he has no interest in that. He just wants to help people, you see. That's what a real gentleman should do, right?'

'Absolutely,' she agreed, smiling brightly. 'it's an admirable goal in my opinion. I think you're plenty gentlemanly, Gonta-kun.'

The two exchanged smiles and parted ways. Akamatsu looked around the room and eventually walked towards Toujou.

'Ah, Toujou-san. I talked to Iruma-san and Harukawa-san. They're no coming, but I think they can take care of themselves...'

'Thank you for assisting me, Akamatsu-san,' she said softly, 'you should take a seat and eat now.'

Akamatsu excused herself and took a seat at the table. Being able to finally fill her stomach, she barely paid attention to the conversations happening around her, until she heard Saihara's name.

'...I wonder about Saihara's talent,' she heard Momota's voice.

'What do you mean?' Amami asked calmly.

'I'm not sure, just...I'm saying that kind of talent is almost too convenient for our situation, you know?'

'Hmmm,' Shirogane tapped her chin, 'are you implying he could be the mastermind?'

'I dunno, maybe?' he shrugged. 'It's possible. Sometimes people who fight crime might wanna try it. Which is why sometimes regular people have to take matters into their own hands.'

'And you think you're that person?' Amami asked sarcastically. 'I don't think there's a point in thinking about that. You realise that whoever is the mastermind behind this can hear us, right?'

'Good! I want them to know we're onto them!' Momota exclaimed, resting his fist on the table.

'Um,' Gonta started, 'can Gonta say something?'

'Go ahead,' Amami encouraged him.

'Gonta thinks that we should stop thinking about the mastermind and doubting each other. We're all friends here, right?'

'We are,' Akamatsu said before anyone could protest. She stood up and looked at everyone who was there. As far as she could tell, Saihara, Kiibo, Iruma, Harukawa, Ouma and Hoshi were absent. 'I know it's tempting to start pointing fingers at each other, but that won't lead us anywhere. I've only known all of you for a day, so I can't say I know you well. But I'm sure we can all get along.'

'Or you're just angry that your crush is suspicious,' Momota remarked with a grin.

'Huh?'Akamatsu raised her eyebrows in surprise.

'Don't act like you didn't walk around with him all day yesterday. There's gotta be something up with that.'

'There isn't,' Akamatsu said coldly. 'We woke up in the same room so he was the first person I saw. That's all there is to it. I'm not angry because you're suspicious of him, I'm angry because you're suspicious of anyone at all.'

'Tenko believes you,' Tenko said quickly, 'Momota-san needs to stop harassing you, or he will have to face Tenko in combat.'

'Me, harassing?' Momota repeated, surprised. 'I'm just saying it seems suspicious. Also, it's not like I'm scared to fight a gir-'

'Tenko is a master of neo-aikido,' she reminded with a glare, 'she wouldn't try that if she were you. She would also kill herself if she were you.'

'That's a fair point,' he admitted, scratching the back of his head. 'Look, I'm sorry. I'll stop teasing you. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on.'

'I know. We all are. But we can't turn on each other so quickly.'

'Angie agrees. We should forget about all the suspicion and just be friends!'

'Gonta thinks so too. Thinking about the game is too depressing...if we all stop thinking about it, nobody's gonna participate, right?'

'Exactly,' Angie nodded. 'Kaito needs to think about that, too.'

'Eh, you gor me,' he said with a smile. 'It's not like I don't wanna be friends with you all.'

The rest of the breakfast went by in relative harmony, with no more bickering. Akamatsu eventually excused herself and went to her room. Now she had time to do whatever she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FTEs next chapter!  
> https://www.strawpoll.me/17277739 <\- vote for up to two characters  
> The FTEs will be integrated into the plot as much as possible. Enjoy


	7. Chapter 1: Daily Life 2

Akamatsu decided to check out the newly-opened room first. It had been on her mind the entire time. Afterwards, she was planning to check on some people, particularly those who hadn't had breakfast together. With a plan in mind, she exhaled slowly and headed out with a confident smile.

The school store was a rather small room with a vending machine to the left, a lot of shelves in the back that were unavailable because of the wide counter dividing them from the rest of the store. On top of said counter was a big gachapon machine that caught Akamatsu's attention. She remembered that on her trek through the school with Saihara, she had picked up a few strange coins. Perhaps...?

She took a coin out of her pocket and carefully inserted into the machine. It appeared to work. She decided to spend some time there...

When she spent on the coins she had on her person, she decided it was time to find someone to talk to. She desperately craved a conversation with someone who could keep her grounded. When she entered the cafeteria, she found just the right person.

Clearly those who had missed group breakfast were now going to make up for it. Not everyone was there right now, but she spotted Hoshi whom she was looking for in hopes of having a conversation.

'Hey, Hoshi-kun,' she greeted him cheerfully. He glanced at her suspiciously. 'I was wondering if you'd want to hang out for a bit.'

His eyes widened slightly. 'With me?' he asked, surprised.

'Yeah,' she confirmed, 'it's fine if you don't want to, I mean. But, um,' she added, taking something out of her backpack, 'I got you something.'

Hoshi looked at what she was holding. A pack of candy cigarettes. He smirked and looked back up at her. 'Is that a bribe?' he teased, accepting the gift. 'Thanks. I appreciate it. Also, I just finished my food so, I have no reason to say no.'

'Great!' Akamatsu smiled at him innocently. 'Should we stay here or take a walk around the school?'

'Whatever you prefer,' he said with a shrug, 'I'm just accepting the invitation.'

Akamatsu decided that they were going to take a walk down the hall and talk, since she believed it'd help clear her mind – as well as being good post-meal exercise. Hoshi went after her without a word.

As she left the cafteria, a sigh escaped her lips.

'That sure is a heavy sigh,' Hoshi remarked. 'If you're tired, we don't have to hang out.'

'Oh, it's not that,' she explained, 'I'm not tired, I'm just...'

'You are tired. We all are. It would be weird not to be tired in this situation. It's not anything shameful,' he insisted, putting a candy cigarette in his mouth. 'So let yourself admit that.'

She glanced over at him. Was it really this obvious? 'I guess... Ugh,' she groaned, 'I would feel less tired if I could relax here. If there was a piano or something. Or any animals.'

Hoshi's cat-like face turned towards her with a faint twinkle in his eyes. 'Animals, huh? Well, there's a bear.'

'That doesn't count!' she protested, crossing her arms.

'Yeah, it'd be hard to relax around him,' he admitted with a crooked smile.

'Exactly!' she agreed. A soft smile appeared on her face. 'I just wish there was a fluffy animal here. Anything. Petting fuzzy animals is always calming.'

'Yeah, they have that effect,' he agreed, playing with the candy cigarette,

'You like animals too, don't you?' she asked suddenly.

He looked over at her with a blank expression. 'You got me. Yeah. I used to own a cat.'

'Aww, I could have guessed from the shape of your hat. But also, you couldn't hide your smile when I mentioned animals. You have a soft side too, eh?' she teased with a bright smile as he pulled the hat over his eyes. 'What happened to your cat, if I can ask?'

'You can. Before...this, I had someone take care of it. When I went to prison,' he admitted, watching her face.

'You've been to prison...?' she asked weakly. 'I'm sorry...'

'Yeah, briefly. Right before I got the acceptance letter. I guess this game is my second punishment, since I got off easy.' He watched her from behind half-closed eyelids with an awkward smile. 'Are you alright?'

She looked down at him and a soft smile formed on her lips. 'Yeah. I'm alright. I don't think you deserve to be in this game, no matter what you did. You're a great person, Hoshi-kun.'

'Are you sure you can say that?' he questioned. 'You barely know me. I wouldn't call myself a good person.'

'Maybe. But nobody who loves animals as much as you do can be a bad person. I think you're just a bit edgy and hard on yourself,' she said with a shrug.

'Edgy?' He raised his eyebrows. 'Maybe that's true. I'm just surprised you're not scared of me knowing this.'

'I'm not,' she assured. She felt her head spinning. 'I also want to say...if your cat is still alive, it probably misses you a lot. I hope we will get out of here so you can get reunited. Ah, scratch that, I KNOW we will get out!' she said with a bold fistpump.

Hoshi shook his head slightly with a crooked smile. 'I wish I could be as optimistic as you, but I can't be. I don't mean to bring you down, but I have to say this,' he started, looking into her eyes intensely, 'I think your optimism might get you killed. Not everybody here is harmless. The chances of all sixteen of us making it out of here is slim to nil. Keep that in mind or you'll end up severely disappointed at best and dead at worst. That's my advice to you.'

'You're a killjoy,' Akamatsu complained with a pout. 

Hoshi took a step away, turning his back to her. 'It's just a friendly warning. That said,' he said with a somewhat soft smile, 'I do want to be reunited with him. If I ever get out of here...I'll try my best to find him. Thanks, Akamatsu. See you later,' he added before walking away.

Akamatsu looked after him for a while. He gave her a lot to think about that she didn't want ito deal with right now. She needed a change of pace. A radically different kind of energy. An she knew exactly where to get it. She started her search for the person until she finally found him on the second floor in front of the closed-off staircase.

'Oh, Akamatsu-chan,' he said when he saw her. 'What are you doing here?'

'I was looking for you, Ouma-kun,' she admitted with a sigh.

'Aww, really? Sorry to disappoint you, Akamatsu-chan, but I'm no into girls. Appreciate the thought, though!' he said with a cheeky grin.

'What?!' she took a step back. 'It's not about that at all! I'm not into boys either!' she blurted out.

'Boo. That was a joke, Akamatsu-chan,' he explained, 'well, except for the girls bit. What do you want then?' he asked, clinging onto the bars separating them from the staircase. 'I'm a busy man, you know.'

'I was going to ask you to hang out, but I'm not sure if I want to anymore...'

'Oh, sweet!' he said with a smile, letting go of the bars. 'I'm in! To be honest, I was getting kind of bored.'

'Honest? I thought you're a liar?' she semi-teased semi-asked. She really was second-guessing this idea.

'Well, I can be honest sometimes, you know. I'm bored for real,' he admitted with a shrug.

'I thought you're busy,' she pointed out hesitantly.

'That was a lie!' he informed cheerfully. 'I was trying to see if I could reach this staircase, but I can't. It blows. So I might as well hang out with you.'

'I see,' she said with a sigh. 'If you don't want to hang out, just say so. I don't know what's gotten into me to reach out to you.'

'I dunno either, nishishi~!' he giggled, resting his hands behind his head. 'But I would neeeeeeever turn down an invitation from you. Oops, that was a lie, I would! But I won't this time,' he assured, enjoying her exhausted expression. 

'Oh, I have something for you, by the way,' she said, taking something out o her backpack. 'I have no idea if you're going to like it, but please accept it.'

Ouma took it from her hand. It was a pack of gum that supposedly explodes in one's mouth. 'Neat! Are you sure you aren't asking me out, Akamatsu-chan? Because if you keep giving me gifts I might just get the wrong idea, nishishi~'

'I'm absolutely sure, Ouma-kun,' she said with a dejected sigh. 'You act as if you're my younger brother. That's not attractive in any way.'

'Careful now, Akamatsu-chan, you're condescending to a supreme leader!' he warned, pointing his finger at her. In that moment, she realised she was getting tired of getting warnings from people.

'I still don't think I believe that you are one,' she remarked.

Ouma's lips curled into a soft smile. 'You're still underestimating me, aren't you, Akamatsu-chan? I can't tell you much about it, but...I think you should be careful about how you address me, you know? Maybe at some point I will reveal everything...but, Super Pianist-chan, you owe me one.'

'...Huh? How so?' she knit her eyebrows, watching him carefully.

He leaned forward and spok quietly. 'It seems that you don't remember our connection. That's unfortunate. My people and I were the ones who made sure your recitals were safe, you know? I was there to make sure you're safe, Akamatsu-chan. There was one time when a different organisation was planning to kill you, but we stopped them.'

'Huh? My recitals...you...did you really? I'm so confused,' Akamatsu said in confusion, sweating profusely. 'That can't be true, what?'

Ouma looked at her in silence for a few seconds before covering his mouth with his hand and bursting out laughing.

'Oh man, you fell for it! You really did! Okay, you got me,' he admitted, calming down, 'that was a lie.'

Jeez. That sure was a mean prank to pull. Trying to make someone believe you saved their life? 

'Of course it was! It was so unrealistic!' she blurted out defensively. 'For a liar, you don't know when to stop to make it sound plausible.'

'You wound me, Akamatsu-chan,' Ouma said with an accusatory sniffle. 'Fine, I will do better next time. And you do better to not fall for it. One day, a lie could get you killed,' he added, narrowing his catlike eyes.

'Oh, spare me!' Akamatsu spat, stomping her foot. 'I'm tired of being told things are going to get me killed. Nobody's going to die, you hear me? If we can treat each other well, nobody will have to worry about that!'

Ouma watched her with a soft smile. 'That's naive, Akamatsu-chan. To each their own, but don't come crying to me if you get killed!' he said, starting to walk away. 'In any case, I wish you good luck. It seems like you want us to work together. I don't think that's gonna happen, but I will support you from the sidelines. Bye-bye~' he said in a singsongy voice, walking down the hall with his elbows up.

Akamatsu stood there for a few minutes, lost in thought. That's two people in a row telling her that she's going to fail. There needed to be a way to convince everyone that it's not hopeless. They were sealing their own fate by refusing to cooperate, she knew that much. Perhaps it was only these two, and everyone else was willing to live in harmony?

She passed by the plant in the hall. Some of the students believed that it was a symbol of their unity, right? Perhaps that was a good sign? She remembered Angie's unsettling, piercing stare when she talked about it. As long as it kept them together, it was probably a good thing, all in all. She sighed as she headed down the stairs. As soon as she set her feet on the ground, something grabbed her and draggedd her into the bathroom before she could protest.

'Wha-!'

'Akamatsu-san! Tenko is so glad that she found you!'

'Oh. Chabashira-san.' Akamatsu's muscles relaxed immediately. 'What's going on?' she asked as Tenko let go of her.

'Well...' Tenko hesitated, fiddling with her fingers. 'Tenko needs your advice.'

'Mine?' Akamatsu's eyes widened. 'I mean, of course, I will help you with whatever you need, Chabashira-san,' she declared.

'Tenko is sorry for scaring you, by the way. She was just too relieved to have finally found you,' she apologised with a bow.

'It's okay, don't worry about it,' Akamatsu assured, 'I don't mind cute girls roughhousing me.'

Tenko squealed, hiding her face in her hands. Akamatsu watched with mild concern.

'Chabashira-san, are you okay?'

'Mmmmmmm, Tenko's very okay, she just needs a moment.' She removed her hands from herr face and exhaled sharply. Her cheeks were noticeably red. 'That's exactly what Tenko wanted to talk about! You're amazing, Akamatsu-san!'

'...Yes? I'm not sure I follow, but thank you?' Akamatsu said with an awkward smile.

'Okay. Here's what Tenko wanted to say,' she started with a deep breath, 'could you teach Tenko how to flirt?'

'...Huh?' Akamatsu blinked, overwhelmed, 'what do you mean, Chabashira-san?'

'T-Tenko...admires you, Akamatsu-san. You have a way with words, especially around girls. Tenko...feels things when you call her cute. Tenko wants to learn how to do that, because...' she paused and gulped, 'there is a girl Tenko finds cute...'

'Oh!' Akamatsu's face lit up with understanding. 'Is it Yumeno-san?' she hazarded a guess.

Tenko's blush deepened. 'Yes, that's the case. How did you know, Akamatsu-san?'

Akamatsu looked back at the moment she got introduced to both of them. There was something about Tenko's protective stance that communicated her feelings clearly, but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to point it out right now. 'I just had a feeling,' she said smoothly.

'Amazing! Tenko knew you're the right person to come to with this!' Tenko exclaimed, clasping her hands together. 'S-so...do you think you'd want to help Tenko?'

'Yeah, sure. I'm not doing anything anyway,' she said with a shrug. Anything was better than thinking about the prospect of failure. 'Maybe we should get out of the bathroom, though...' she suggested, looking around awkwardly.

'Ah, of course! We can go to Tenko's room or yours! Whatever suits you, Akamatsu-san.'

'My room is okay, I guess,' Akamatsu said as Tenko opened the door. The instant she left, Akamatsu heard a crashing soun and ran out behind her.

'Were you trying to harass Tenko, you dirty menace?' Tenko interrogated someone Akamatsu couldn't see from this angle.

'N-no! I'm sorry, I was going to the other bathroom!' that was Saihara's voice.

'What's going on?' Akamatsu asked. Evidently Tenko had flipped Saihara onto the floor.

'A-Akamatsu-san!' Saihara looked at her, flustered, as Tenko let go of him, wiping her hand on her skirt.

'Tenko apologizes. That's her first instinct upon being touched by a menace,' she explained smiling apologetically at Akamatsu.

'Th-that's a dangerous first instinct,' Saihara remarked, getting up from the floor and dusting himself off.

'It's in reaction to danger, Saihara-san. In martial arts, you have to act immediately,' she explained. 'Anyway, Akamatsu-san, we should go.'

'Oh! Yeah,' she said with a nod, glancing at Saihara, 'are you going to be fine, Saihara-kun?'

He nodded, opening the bathroom door. 'Don't worrry, Akamatsu-san. I've been thinking about what you told me yesterday.'

'I see. We'll talk later, I guess,' she replied as Tenko dragged her away gently yet firmly. He didn't respond, entering the bathroom.

The girls entered the dorms and went inside Akamatsu's bedroom. They sat down on the bed in a true sleepover fashion.

'So, Akamatsu-san,' she started, 'what do you think? What should Tenko do to attract Yumeno-san instead of scaring her away?'

Akamatsu pondered the question. She could see Yumeno's sleepy, tired face in her mind's eye, and the answer was pretty clear to her, but she needed to confirm her assumptions first. 'Well, what have you been doing?'

'Oh, Tenko has been talking to Yumeno-san and supporting her belief in magic since we woke up! Yumeno-san say Tenko is loud and embarrassing, though...So she doesn't know what to do instead.'

'I see,' Akamatsu said, perfectly aware that she was going to have to tell Tenko to give Yumeno space but not too much space. She braced herself for a long afternoon.

 ***

Amami Rantarou opened his eyes.

He had been lying on his bed in the state of concentration that could easily be mistaken for sleeping. He stared at the ceiling for a while, desperately trying to distract himself from the thought that had been bugging him since the day before.

He felt a vague sense of familairity, particularly unsettling in this setting. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he was sure he recognised someone, but he couldn't for the life of his remember where from. Was it even significant? He had no way to tell. The chance that his feeling had anything to do with the game was slim. And yet...

He sat up on the bed and grabbed the notepad from the desk. He proceeded to write a name on it and then hid it inside one of the drawers. He was going to have to come back to it later. Not now. Now he needed to distract himself further.

He got up from the bed and stretched out his arms. It was time for a walk. He desperately needed fresh air – as fresh as it could get inside this building. The tree on the second floor was the best bet for that, so he opened the door and made his way there.

He was clearly not the first person who got that idea. Predictably, Angie and Gonta were resting there, but he also noticed Ouma, Shinguuji and Yumeno. That counted as a crowd by the standards of this group.

'Gonta! Can you give me a piggyback ride? I wanna get on top of this tree!' Amami heard Ouma's whine.

'Kokichi, Angie isn't sure if that's safe. What if you fall?'

'Then Gonta will catch me of course! Duh,' Ouma claimed, rolling his eyes. 'Or Amami-chan will,' he added, noticing him.

'Oh, Rantarou!' Angie exclaimed. 'You came to join us!'

'Yeah, I needed some fresh air,' he confirmed. 'What's going on?'

'Gonta is being very ungentlemanly,' Ouma complained, 'he won't help me climb this tree.'

'Oh, would a gentleman help with that?' Gonta wondered. 'Gonta guesses he'd better do it then.'

'Be careful, Gonta,' Amami warned, watching as the giant picked Ouma up, allowing him to easily reach the top of the tree.

'Can all of you please be quiet?' Yumeno complained. 'You're so loud...'

'It's okay, Himiko. Angie can cover your ears.'

Amami watched as Ouma clung onto a branch like a stray kitten, right above Angie and Yumeno. That was a bad sign, but he ultimately decided to not mention it. He noticed that Shiguuji was looking the same way, in the same silence.

'So, why is everyone here?' he asked instead. He knew that he himself could never share the real reason for his sudden interest in nature.

'Angie was planning to sketch the tree, since it's the only element of nature here. She misses the outside,' she explained, 'and Himiko wanted to nap, so Angie thought it'd be good for her to do it here instead of locking herself in a small room!'

'And then I couldn't sleep anyway,' Yumeno added spitefully, looking up at Ouma. 'Because someone needed to climb a tree.'

'Gonta just really misses the outside, too. The tree is the only thing here that reminds him of home and catching bugs,' he sighed, 'too bad there aren't any bugs here. But Angie said that maybe they're just hiding and they will come out for Gonta.'

'I can shake them out for you,' Ouma offered. 'You're all so small from here, nishishi~ Except for Gonta.'

'Don't do that,' Yumeno said firmly, closing her eyes. 'And just let me sleep already.'

Amami smiled to himself. He was relieved to see that at least some people here were seemingly unbothered by the situation. He didn't particularly trust Ouma or Angie, but he couldn't help smiling when listening to Gonta. Perhaps he could hang out with him more to send away the anxiety. He glanced at Shinguuji. 'And you?' he asked.

'Me? I was trying to identify this tree. I don't think I've ever seen one like that before. I'm thinking I could use the library for that later. Besides that,' he added, glancing at Angie, 'this particular tree has the potential to become part of the culture of this place. I find that...fascinating.'

'I hear you,' Amami said with a nod. 'I think I've had enough fresh air for now, so I'm gonna go back to the dorms. Have fun and stay safe, everyone,' he said, waving his hand. As soon as he turned around, Ouma fell from the tree into Gonta's arms.

Amami headed back to his room. On his way, he walk past Tenko, who had just left Akamatsu's room. He didn't have the energy to question it, but he filed it away in his brain for now. He opened the door to his room and flopped onto the bed, desperate to fall asleep as the nightime announcement rang out around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, Hoshi won the FTE poll by a landslide but Ouma and Iruma were a draw - so she gets dibs on another FTE segment  
> Hope everyone enjoys  
> As promised, FTEs are 'integrated' into the plot~


	8. Chapter 1: Daily Life 3

Akamatsu Kaede opened her eyes.

She never realised how tired she was the day before until Tenko left her room, after a few long hours of talking about girls. It wasn't necessarily unpleasant, it was simply a matter of Tenko being an intense person, and a stubborn one at that. Akamatsu wasn't even entirely sure if any of her advice went through, but she simply assumed she was going to find out eventually.

She regretted not bringing up the incident with Saihara outside the bathroom. It was a relief that nobody got hurt, but she couldn't help wondering what gave Tenko such a dangerous reflex in the first place - and worrying that it would come up again and again. She decided to keep it in the back of her head to eventually ask about it, as respectfully as possible. Hopefully, the issue with Yumeno would be resolved soon, allowing her to focus on other things.

Akamatsu sat up on the bed, yawning softly. It was time to face the day, even if she had a bad feeling about it.

She got up and stretched her arms, heading towards the bathroom. This time, she couldn't tell what her reflection was trying to tell her. She smiled brightly at herself. Everything was going to be alright. She was going to make sure of it.

She left the room a short while later. This time, she didn't feel that hungry, yet there was still undefined pressure in her stomach. She decided that perhaps it will go away if she talks to someone, and indeed, the opportunity presented itself.

'Oh, good morning, Hoshi-kun,' she blurted out, seeing him waiting in front of the cafeteria with his trademark candy cigarette nonchalantly sticking out of his mouth. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

'Morning, Akamatsu. You look like you're surprised to see me,' he remarked with a smirk.

'I guess, kind of?' she admitted with a shrug. 'You skipped breakfast yesterday, so I kind of expected you to do it again. But, um,' she added quickly, 'I'm really glad to see you out here!'

He chuckled softly, closing his eyes. 'I appreciate the thought. Anyway, I decided that I wannna get into the rhythm. That's how it was in prison. Wake up early, eat as fast as you can, and then just stare at the walls... At least there's more to do here, I guess.'

'Right...' Akamatsu resonded awkwardly. 'I can only imagine how boring that must have been.'

'You get used to it,' he assured. 'You will see for yourself. Although,' he added with a slightly twisted smile, 'that routine will be broken if someone dies. Because somebody will find it too boring.'

'Oh, stop that, please,' she said, crossing her ams over her chest. 'I still don't believe anything is going to happen,' she added, in spite of her gut feeling. 'Unless you're trying to scare me into thinking you're planning. Which I won't believe for a minute.'

'I don't know what I did to deserve this faith in me. But I'm not going to do anything. Never again,' he declared in a hushed voice. Akamatsu was trying to come up with a response when another voice joined them.

'Hey, mornin'. What are you two standing around for?' That was Amami's voice.  
'Good morning, Amami-kun!' Akamatsu said cheerfully, turning towards him. 'We were just talking, but Hoshi-kun is being depressing,' she explained with a pout. Amami's bright green eyes looked down at Hoshi curiously.

'Depressing, huh? I guess I understand,' he admitted. 'It's hard to be optimistic about our situation, don't you think?' he asked, looking back at Akamatsu with a crooked smile, making her shudder. 'But, I'm not gonna try to scare ya. That won't help anybody,' he added firmly, narrowing his eyes at Hoshi.

'I'm not trying to scare her, either,' Hoshi muttered. 'I just don't believe this is going to end well.'

'I know. I think you're overthinking it,' Amami said with a shrug. 'Even if you're right to be wary of our situation, shooting her down won't change anything or make you feel better. So maybe just try to relax for a moment, okay? For your own sake.'

Hoshi remained silent, looking down at his own feet. Akamatsu watched Amami curiously as he nonchalantly stretched out his arm. He seemed even more relaxed than she was on the surface, yet there was obviously something on his mind.

'Anyway, have any of you had trouble staying awake?' he asked all of a sudden. 'I think I'm slowly suffocating in this place.'

'I can't say I've felt that,' Akamatsu admitted with a shrug, 'but I'm not surprised. This place is super claustrophobic.'

'Yeah, I can see that. It makes me want to stay in bed,' Hoshi added, sighing. 'It's probably done on purpose. Prison had the same effect on me.'

'Okay, we're getting depressing again,' Akamatsu pointed out, 'maybe we should just go inside,' she then suggested with a nervous smile.

'Hah, sorry. That wasn't what I was going for,' Amami apologised, scratching the back of his head. 'You're right. We should just go eat already. It should be almost 9 already.'

Akamatsu approached the door to the cafteria and swiftly opened it. Toujou had already set down the plates with help from Gonta, who seemed to be enjoying his established role as the kitchen helper. Nobody but them was inside yet.

'Good morning, Gonta-kun, Toujou-san!' Akamatsu exclaimed cheerfully, waving at them.

'Good morning, Akamatsu-san!' Gonta said, waving back. Akamatsu was still surprised whenever he spoke – the soft, calming voice wildly contrasted with his appearance.

'Good morning, Akamatsu-san. You're here early again,' Toujou noted with a gentle smile.

'Haha, yeah. I guess I just couldn't wait to see you, Toujou-san,' Akamatsu teased, taking a seat.

'I'm flattered, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou muttered, discreetly coughing into her palm. 'I hope you will enjoy your meal,' she added, bowing slightly before walking away towards the counter.

Akamatsu looked around the table. She registered Amami and Gonta sitting on her left and Hoshi reluctantly taking a seat to her right. Soon enough, other people came and filled the room with the constant sound of conversations and laughter. She smiled to herself with relief. Perhaps things weren't going to go wrong, after all.

Tenko took a seat exactly opposite hers, with Yumeno seated between her and Angie. When her eyes met Akamatsu's, she grinned, giving a thumbs up. Akamatsu mirrored the gesture.

As more and more people sat round the table, she found herself trying to read emotions from their faces, since she was less focused on her food than the morning before. 

Yumeno, as per usual, seemed somehow even more exhausted than Hoshi, but she paid attention to the conversation Angie was holding with Gonta and Amami. As far as Akamatsu could tell, they were discussing something about bugs. Or rather, Angie and Gonta were, while Amami made short comments every now and then.

Meanwhile to Akamatsu's right, Hoshi was quietly poking his food. Momota was seated a few seats away, with Shirogane sitting between him and Tenko, presumably to avoid conflict between them. She smiled at Akamatsu shyly before looking back down at her plate. Akamatsu felt her heart beating faster momentarily.

However, she couldn't take her mind off Momota's expression. He clearly seemed uneasy and oddly focused. She took a deep breath.

'Hey, Momota-kun, is everything alright?' she asked carefully.

He looked up at her, mildly surprised. 'Not really,' he scoffed. 'There's nothing to do here. It's driving me insane. I need space, you know?'

'I see,' she replied awkwardly. 'There's always the gym, right? I'm sure you can find something to do there,' she suggested carefully.

'The gym?' he raised his eyebrows. 'You know what, you might be onto something. Working out always makes me feel better. Staying in shape is the best!' he said with a grin, pounding his chest with a fist. 'It'd be much better if I had someone to do it with, though,' he added, as his eyes landed on Hoshi. 'Hey, you've played tennis, right? We could practice together!' he offered.

Hoshi looked down at the plate, softly shaking his head. 'I quit. Sorry, but I'm not interested,' he said. Akamatsu frowned, while Momota raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'What, really? Why the hell'd you quit?' he asked in disbelief.

'I have my reasons,' Hoshi answered, glancing at Akamatsu. Her heart skipped a beat. 'So that's a no.'

'That sounds like bullshit, dude,' Momota remarked. 'Maybe you wouldn't be such a downer if you got some exercise. It's not good for a guy to be so whiny.'

'A whiny downer, huh?' Hoshi sighed dejectedly. 'I have my reasons. You can think whatever you want of me, I don't really care. Find someone else.'

'To me it just sounds like you gave up,' Momota scoffed.

'Momota-kun...you should just drop it,' Shirogane interrupted, flinching the instant he looked at her. 'I-I just don't think you should pressure Hoshi-kun into anything...' she added weakly, with her hands covering her face. 'M-maybe you could exercise with Chabashira-san instead,' she suggested, not seeing Akamatsu's panicked signs advising against it.

'Tenko would never exercise together with a menace,' Tenko protested, having overheard the last part of the conversation. She was looking at Momota with the most disinterested expression Akamatsu has ever seen. 'Plus, he doesn't seem interested, either. Because he knows Tenko is too good for him,' she added in a theaterical whisper. Hoshi snorted into his cup.

'I-I see,' Shirogane quickly spoke up, seeing that Momota was about to say something. 'Well, Momota-kun, you will have to do it on your own or keep looking. I'm afraid I'm no help,' she said with a self-depracating smile. 'I've never been good at physical education, as you can probably tell.'

'Me neither,' Akamatsu admitted, grateful for the intervention. 'I don't think any of us are really athletic,' she added, looking through all the people gathered in the room and remembering those who were absent.

'Gonta is pretty athletic,' Amami corrected. Akamatsu wasn't surprised that he was paying attention to the conversation. 'But I'm not sure if it has anything to do with exercise.'

'It doesn't,' Gonta agreed. 'Gonta just developed muscle through helping at home. Chopping wood and fending off predators, too. But he has no interest in sports,' he explained.

'Fending off predators...?' Akamatsu muttered under her breath. _What kind of wilderness did Gonta even com from?_

'I kind of hoped you'd be down, Gonta,' Momota admitted, grimacing. 'Well, whatever. I guess you don't really need it.'

'Good morning,' a weak voice spoke up from right behind Akamatsu. She turned around, pleasantly surprised.

'Good morning, Saihara-kun!' she greeted the flustered boy, who seemed to regret coming there to begin with. 'I'm glad you came.'

'Mornin',' Momota said as well, 'I haven't seen you in ages. Good thing you finally stopped avoiding us,' he added with a thumbs up.

'I wasn't avoiding anyone...' Saihara started, but then he realised he most certainly was.

'Whatever, you have great sense of timing. I have a question for you,' Momota announced, as Akamatsu glanced at him suspiciously. She still hadn't forgotten Moomota's accusation from the day before.

'For me...?' Saihara was taken aback. He still hadn't taken a seat, but he was already being asked questions, which was never an ideal situation.

'Yeah, I have an offer you can't refuse!' Momota assured him with a grin. 'Wanna be my training partner?'

Saihara's eyes widened in surprise, along with Akamatsu's and Shirogane's. Hoshi simply stared at his plate quietly while Amami looked at Momota with a subtly condescending smile.  
'Me?' Saihara pointed at himself in confusion. 'I'm not athletic at all, though...'

'Exactly!' Momota nodded. 'That's a problem! Don't you want to be less scrawny, dude?'

Saihara paused for a moment before shaking his head. 'I don't think that'd be useful to me...' he glanced at Akamatsu. 'I have other things to work on.'

'All of you are hopeless,' Momota scoffed, hiding his face in hands. 'Fine, just don't come crying to me if someone tries to kill you and you're too weak to defend yourself.'

Saihara was about to say something, when an announcement started playing loudly above him.

'All students, please gather at the gym. This is an order!'

'I guess we're all going to the gym anyway...' Hoshi muttered.

About five minutes later, all the students, including those who never made it for group breakfast, gathered at the gym. This time, Akamatsu found herself standing between Angie and Harukawa, the latter of whom was deliberately avoiding eye contact, crossing her arms over her chest. That reminded Akamatsu of the time she ran into her in front of the library. She never found out what book she had taken out...

'Good morning, you bastards!' Monokuma's voice brought her back to reality.

'Good morning!' Angie said back at him. Akamatsu felt herself shuddering at that misdirected friendly gesture. As always, there was something deeply unsettling about Angie.

'It seems like you guys have been starting to get bored, huh? Well, so have I! I'm super bored! Because of you lot! You're so boring! Why is nobody dead yet?' Monokuma ranted, baring his sharp teeth threatheningly. 'How dare you all refuse to participate in the game? I might just about kill you myself!'

'That's against the rules,' Amami remarked calmly.

'What's against the rules is you harming me! And your idleness is killing me inside!' Monokuma retorted. 'Luckily for you, I thought of a compromise. I'm sure you will like it in particular, Amami-kun, but it should be enticing to all of you.'

The bear paused for a few seconds, looking around the room triumphantly. Nobody moved or said anything.

'I've told you guys about the trial, but I neglected to say something you bastards might be interested in!' Mookuma grinned widely. 'That is, if someone dies, the winner will find out what happened between their last memory and waking up here!'

'Huh...?' Akamatsu raised her eyebrows.

'Did none of you find it odd that you seem to have some missing memories? Well, surprise, you DO have missing memories! But I'm not saying what they are or how much time had passed! Not now, at least! You'll have to work for it! And work hard!'

Cold sweat covered Akamatsu's face. He knew that there was a gap in her memory, but she never thought that much of it. Now, she had to assume it was an integral part of the game.

'Now, stop being boring and get to killing! Don't make me repeat myself! If you fail me, I have other ways of making sure you start killing...Upupu...' Monokuma gave them a warning and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

From the corner of her eye, Akamatsu watched Harukawa, who was now pale. Was she that scared of the prospect of someone killing her? She couldn't really blame her if that was the case. Then, she looked at Amami, who was standing behind her. He seemed as relaxed as ever, even under her questioning gaze.

'Whoever locked us here is getting impatient,' he remarked. Akamatsu nodded hesitantly.

'I have no goddamn clue what this is all about,' Iruma said impatiently. 'Who the fuck would be bored here? The warehouse is a paradise.'

'Or you're just entertained by simple things, Iruma-chan,' Ouma chimed in from behind her.

'Are you trying to imply something, ya gremlin?'

'Nothing at all.'

'Either way, what shall we do about it?' Yumeno asked, visibly shaking. 'We can't simply ignore it.'

'We can and we should,' Akamatsu protested. 'We don't need to think about it at all.'

'Angie thinks it would be silly to care about it. We should care about being together, here and now! Fate brought us together, that's what matters!'

'The hippie is kinda right for once,' Iruma added, rolling her eyes. 'I don't care as long as I can work,' she added for clarity. Akamatsu sensed certain hesitation in her voice.

'No matter how much we talk about it not mattering, it might to matter to someone. Memories are a powerful thing, and it appears they were stolen from us. All we can do is try to stay safe,' Toujou said cautiously. 'However, I believe we should proceed as we have previously. I vow to protect everyone to the best of my ability.'

'Tenko agrees! She's going to protect all the girls!'

'Tenko, you're hurting my arm,' Yumeno whined.

'Ah, Tenko is sorry!' she exclaimed, immediately letting go.

'Um, can I say something?' Saihara spoke up, raising his hand.

'Yeah, go ahead,' Akamatsu said softly exactly at the same time when Iruma said 'no, next question.'

'Gonta thinks we should hear him out. Maybe Saihara-kun has made some sort of an observation!'

'Uh, no, not really,' Saihara said weakly, 'I just haven't eaten yet...'

'Oh, that's right.' Toujou perked up, ready to go to the cafeteria. 'We should continue breakfast for everyone who wasn't finished. I shall go ahead and make preparations.'

'Man, that was lame,' Iruma complained, sticking out her tongue. 'See, tree trunk dick, there was o reason to let him speak.'

'Iruma-san, did you just call Gonta...'

'I have a question too,' Kiibo interrupted. 'I don't understand why Monokuma said you would like the motive in particular, Amami-kun.'

'Probably because I don't remember my talent,' Amami explained with a shrug. 'What he missed is that I don't really care. If I remember, that's cool, but I really don't need that to survive. There are more important things in life, you know? I can promise you that.'

'I believe that, Amami-kun,' Gonta said with a bright smile. 'I don't think anybody should doubt you.'

'Even if they do, there's nothing I can do about it,' Amami pointed out.

'You're the least likely person to fall for that,' Akamatsu said with conviction. 'Now, we should just move on and forget this. Though, it does suck that our memories were stolen...But we have to defeat the mastermind to get them back instead of trying to kill each other.'

'Here you go again, Akamatsu-chan...' Ouma whispered, shaking his head. She decided to ignore his bait this time.

'All of that sounds super suspicious,' Yumeno remarked, 'but I'm tired of talking about it. I think I need a nap.'

Soon after, everyone had left the gym. Akamatsu was, once again, the last person to leave. She noticed that, as she was leaving, Angie looked back at her as if she was going to say something, but decided against it and sprinted away. She decided she was going to deal with it later.

Akamatsu walked back to her room, deep in thought. She didn't want to think about it, but the stolen memories were now on her mind. She watched the other students. She could see that they were the same, stuck on the questions that were ringing in her brain: how much time was stolen from them, exactly? And for what purpose? And finally, by whom? Who could possibly have access to that sort of technology?

She couldn't afford to throw accusations right now. She needed a distraction.

She needed to talk to someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next FTE has been decided so no vote this time. Hope y'all enjoyed this very dialogue heavy chapter lmao


	9. Chapter 1: Daily Life 4

Against her better judgement, Akamatsu went to look for Iruma.

Something about her attitude made her fascinating, even if not exactly appealing. Akamatsu wanted to know more about everyone in general, but Iruma was one of those closed off yet abrasive personalities that were bound to catch her attention. She wanted to know what made her tick – assuming that Iruma wouldn't kick her out without a word, of course.

It was safe to assume that Iruma would be in the warehouse, but Akamatsu caught her coming out of the bathroom instead. When she almost bumped into her, Iruma jumped away with a screech.

'Watch your step, Bakamatsu!' she hissed.

Akamatsu bit her tongue. She reminded herself what happened last time she yelled at the golden girl genius. Deep inhale, long exhale.

'I'm sorry, Iruma-san,' she apologised cautiously, 'are you busy?'

'A genius is always busy,' Iruma informed, resting her hands on heer hips. 'What do you want?'

'If you don't have time, then nevermind, but I was wondering if you would want to hang out for a bit,' Akamatsu confessed, watching her carefully.

Iruma's muscles tensed up as she leaned back in confusion, pointing a slightly shaking finger at her. 'You, hang out with me? Why?'

Akamatsu narrowed her eyes at the finger before looking back up at Iruma's face. It didn't seem like she was opposed to the idea, but she decided to be careful. 'Yeah. I thought you might be lonely,' she explained, to which Iruma snorted grossly.

'Lonely? Ha, no! But, if you wanna hang out with me, that means you have good taste,' she decided, 'so I'll let you spend some time with the great Iruma Miu! Cherish this opportunity, Bakamatsu, and don't you fuckin' dare waste my time!' she exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

'Yeah, I will,' Akamatsu responded weakly with an awkward smile. Iruma had spat all over her face everytime she raised her voice, so she was discreetly trying to wipe it. 'Oh, and I have something for you,' she added, taking something out of her backpack. Iruma grabbed it, letting go of her shoulder.

'Where the fuck did you get this?!' she howled, looking through the Latest Machine Parts Catalogue. 'Actually, that doesn't matter, since it's mine now. I owe you, Bakamatsu! Wanna play with the wax machine later?' she offered, drooling onto the floor.

'No, thanks,' Akamatsu said quickly, 'it's enough for me that you're happy.'

'Okay then, your loss!' Iruma tucked the catalogue away into her overalls, cackling. 'Since you wanted to hang out, I assume you had something you wanted to say to me? You should spit it out already, cuz I'm gettin' bored already,' she informed, yawning theatrically. 'Bring it, small tits!'

'Small tits...' Akamatsu stifled her urge to start a fight by clenching and unclenching her fists a few times. She was above letting the conversation devolve into a boob comparison contest. She cleared her throat. 'Yeah, I actually wanted to ask about your inventions,' she admitted. 'Since I've never heard about you before and all. I think it's a shame, so if you could enlighten me...' she continued, expertly concealing the sarcastic undertones.

'Damn right I will! I have no fuckin' clue what kinda rock you lived under, but I guess it can't be helped,' she said with a shrug. 'Sit your flat ass down and listen,' she orderred, dragging her into the warehouse.

'Listen, could you stop making such comments about my body?' Akamatsu growled thrrough gritted teeth. 'You're not even right about it!'

'Oh yeah? Prove it!' Iruma cackled, spitting everywhere once again. Akamatsu slapped her hand away from her arm.

'No! I'm not gonna let it get to me, and I'm not gonna let you touch me!' she protested before realising that she was yelling again, despite her best attempts not to. It was hard to keep calm around Iruma. Even though a part of her wanted to lecture her right now, another part realised it would be futile. 'Nevermind that,' she said calmly, rubbing her temples, 'could you just continue the story?' she asked quickly before Iruma could have another breakdown in front of her. She sat down on one of the cardboard boxes and looked into Iruma's nervous face. She reminded herself that she could only get through to the other girl by taking small steps, however tedious that was going to be.

Iruma sniffled, rubbing the hand Akamatsu slapped away. 'Listen well. I, the genius girl Iruma Miu, the greatest inventor of our time, have invented many of the most useful gadgets in existence! Ones that let you type while you sleep, read while you sleep, and even eat and drink while you sleep!'

'Why do they all involve sleeping...?' Akamatsu asked before she could stop herself.

'Have you ever noticed how much time people waste on sleep?' Iruma asked back, pointing her finger at her. 'I was inspired when I realised that. Don't you think you would be much more productive if you didn't have to waste so much of your life lying unconscious?'

'I guess that makes sense...' Akamatsu admitted. 'I never thought about it this way.'

'Of course you didn't. That's why I'm the genius here,' Iruma retorted, continuing before Akamatsu could protest. 'So that was the inspiration. I noticed how much time I'm wastin', so I used my time awake to invent things that let me do more while asleep,' she explained, although akamatsu noticed certain hint of hesitation in her voice.

'Is that why you don't really sleep much here, either?' she asked cautiously.

'I get my beauty sleep, obviously,' she said with a shrug. 'But yeah, I mostly just work. Somebody needs to do something useful here, y'know?'

Akamatsu puffed out her cheeks. 'Are you implying everyone else is wasting their time?' she asked in a husky voice, crossing her arms over her chest.

'No,' Iruma clarified, 'I'm not implying it, I'm saying it's a fact. All of you are fuckin' losers compared to me. Die mad about it, Bakamatsu,' she taunted, sticking her tongue out.

'That's not fair!' Akamatsu argued. 'We're all doing our best, you know? Your talent is more helpful than mine, sure, but that doesn't make you better than me!'

'Eek!' Iruma jumped back, sweating profusely. 'N-no need to get so a-angry at me!'

Akamatsu realised she let herself lose patience again. She sighed and relaxed her muscles. 'I'm sorry. Is there anything non-sleep related you've invented I might have heard of?'

'Tch...there might just be,' Iruma clicked her tongue dismissively. 'Ever heard of eyedrop contact lenses?'

'Huh? Of course. My friends use them!' Akamatsu's eyes widened in surprise. 'You invented them?!'

'Pshh, your friends sound like fuckin' plebs,' she decided. 'But yeah, that was me. It was a trash invention because you can't use it in your sleep. So I sold the rights to someone for it. No idea why it became so popular.'

'Because it's revolutionary! You really are a genius!' Akamatsu exclaimed in awe.

Iruma's cheeks turned bright pink. 'Yeah, I know. But you haven't seen the last of me! Next time you come I'll show you something new!' she assured, puffing out her chest. 'Right now all I can say is I'm working on upgrades for Kiibs, but the details are top secret! Prepare to be amazed!... But now leave me alone. I gotta get back to work. That's all the time you get with the great Iruma Miu, now shoo,' she said, pushing Akamatsu off the box and out of the warehouse. The door closed behind her before she could even say 'bye'.

She stood in front of the door for about a minute, contemplating. She had known that Iruma had to be insanely talented and possibly dangerous because of it, but she had a lot more details to think about now.

Did she get through to her, at least a bit?

She decided to grab a cup of tea from the cafeteria and think, but she almost bumped into someone as soon as she took the corner by the door to the library. A thought flashed in her head that it wasn't the first time it happened around that exact spot.

'Ah!' she gasped. 'Shirogane-san, you scared me!'

'Oh, I'm sorry, Akamatsu-san!' Shirogane muttered, hugging herself. 'I may have spaced out just now. I obviously didn't mean to scare you, I promise!'

'I believe that,' Akamatsu assured, smiling awkwardly. As she looked at the girl in front of her, an idea struck her. She gently grabbed her shoulders. 'Shirogane-san, are you doing something?'

Shirogane looked at her wide-eyed for about twenty seconds before answering. 'To be honest with you, I have just been pacing back and forth and thinking because I simply couldn't stay in my room any longer. So, no, I don't think I'm doing anything important right now,' she admitted hesitantly. 'Why are you asking, did you want to talk about cosplay with me?' she asked, a spark of hope briefly lighting up her face.

'Kind of?' Akamatsu deflected. 'Honestly, I was just looking at your hair, and it's so beautiful I can't resist it...' she admitted frankly, 'so I was wondering if you'd let me, like, brush and style it...I'm pretty good at braiding hair and stuff,' she added, looking at the wavy blue locks.

Shirogane's face didn't change at all as she brought her finger up to her chin, considering the offer. Finally, she smiled and nodded. 'Nobody's done that for me in a long time,' she confessed, 'since I always just wear wigs over my hair. I have hair accessories with me, though!' she said, suddenly energized. 'You can do whatever you want with them, I won't mind!'

'Great!' Akamatsu clapped her hands. 'I was gonna go grab a cup of tea, so you can get the accessories in the meantime.'

'How about I just bring them to the cafteria? I'll be right back!' and she took off immediately. Akamatsu watched her go before entering the cafteria, empty with the exception of Toujou doing the dishes.

'Hello, Toujou-san,' she called out, grabbing a cup. 'You still have stuff to do, huh?'

'Hello, Akamatsu-san. I'm afraid so, yes, but it isn't a problem at all,' she assured, watching her boil the water.

'Are you absolutely sure?' Akamatsu asked cautiously. 'I'm sorry if I sound condescending...' she added apologetically.

'Akamatsu-san,' Toujou said firmly, setting aside a plate. 'I understand that you're worried that I might be overworking myself. I appreciate the concern. But that, amongst many other things, is my duty.'

'I just wanna do something for you,' Akamatsu confessed, pouring the water into the cup. 'I admire how hardworking you are...I feel kind of useless in comparison, haha...'

'You definitely aren't,' Toujou insisted, looking at her with a warm smile. 'In fact, I admire you.'

'Me? What is there to admire?' Akamatsu set the cup down on the table with extreme caution.

'You're doing your best to keep the group together, despite the efforts of whoever trapped us here. It's quite a responsibility you're claiming for yourself,' Toujou explained.

'I don't think it's that big a deal... You can tell not everyone's going to listen to me...I feel like it's slipping away from me, sometimes.'

'I've worked under many charismatic people, Akamatsu-san. I don't think I can think of one who was more of a natural-born leader than you, though,' she informed. A moment of hesitation. 'However, if you ever need advice, I'm at your service.'

'I'm back, Akamatsu-san!' Shirogane exclaimed from the door before Akamatsu could answer. 'I brought the accessories and my makeup kit, just in case!'

'Oh, great!' Akamatsu turned towards her in her seat. Shirogane sat beside her, exhaling deeply. 'Makeup kit, huh...I see nail painting stuff.'

'Would you want me to paint your nails in exchange? I'm not great at it, but I don't want to be ungrateful...'

'I've never had my nails done, even though I wanted to...Piano, you know,' Akamatsu clarified with a sigh, examining her hand, 'but...I can't even play the piano here, so...'

'I'd be happy to do it for you!' Shirogane claimed. 'I'm nervous, but excited to see what you come up with, Akamatsu-san,' she confessed nervously, trying to glance back.

'Oh, sure, I'll do my best,' Akamatsu said absentmindedly, digging through the accessories. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

The transformation took about thirty minutes. Akamatus brushed the wavy, thick hair thoroughly, listening to Shirogane's musings about styling wigs and how it was something she could do on her own, unlike properly styling her own hair. In the meantime, Toujou finished washing the dishes and sat down to watch the process quietly.

And then, eventually, it was done.

'Here we go!' Akamatsu announced proudly, setting the brush aside.

Shirogane's hair was now styled into two wavy pigtails framing her face nicely. They were almost too perfectly even to seem real, which made Akamatsu understandably proud.

Shirogane couldn't see herself, though.

'Where is my hand mirror? I can't believe I lost it!' she mumbled under her breath, looking around. 'I suppose I will try to find it later...' she sighed with defeat.

'I can guarantee you look sexy like this!' Akamatsu assured. 'Like...fierce!'

'Sexy and fierce? Plain old me? I don't believe that for a second,' Shirogane protested with a small giggle. 'But I do believe you did a grreat job, Akamatsu-san... Should I do my part now?'

'Oh, sure, go ahead!' Akamatsu encouraged. She felt warm as the other girl held up her hand. She watched curiously as the small brush licked her nails one by one. As Shirogane was moving onto her other hand, they heard a voice behind them.

'Whoa, Shirogane, you got a makeover?' That was Amami.

'Hello, Amami-kun!' Akamatsu greeted, as Shirogane looked up suspiciously, pausing entirely. They both turned towards the door, and noticed that Amami was accompanied by Gonta and Shinguuji, the latter of whom walked up to the table and took a seat beside Toujou. 

'Hey, what are you two doing?' Amami asked in a friendly voice. 'By the way, did either of you drop a hand mirror?' he added, holding it up.

'Gonta found it by the dorms,' Gonta added from the side.

'It's mine,' Shirogane claimed firmly, snatching it out of Amami's hand. She was finally able to look at herself. 'Oh my, Akamatsu-san... You did a fantastic job...' she muttered, examining herself from every angle.

'Oh, oh, Amami-kun, Gonta-kun, Shinguuji-kun! Look at my nails! Shirogane-san painted them for me!' Akamatsu called out, showing them off.

'Akamatsu-san, you sound so excited for something so small...' Shirogane muttered, embarrassed.

'Oh, that's pretty good,' Amami remarked, examining Akamatsu's hand closely. 'I have another idea that could work, though.'

'Oh, you've done this before, Amami-kun?' Akamatsu raised her eyebrows. 'I guess it's not that surprising. You do seem like the type.'

'Do I?' Amami asked softly. 'I used to do it a lot for my family. I have sisters, you know,' he admitted. 'Hey, I could do your other hand, if you want.' He glanced at Shirogane. 'And if you don't mind.'

'Wouldn't it look weird and mismatched?' Shirogane murmured. 'I mean...I don't mind if Akamatsu-san doesn't...'

'I wouldn't mind at all! I bet it's gonna look cool!' Akamatsu said cheerfully, holding out her hand. 'My first time with painted nails might as well be unique, haha...'

As Amami carefully decorated her fingernails, Toujou and Shinguuji watched with growing interest. Gonta, meanwhile...

'Gonta doesn't mean tto be ungentlemanly,' he started, 'but Shirogane-san looks really pretty.'

'I know, right!' Akamatsu nodded along, causing Amami to tell her to stop moving.

'Gonta wishes he got a haircut too,' he added dreamily. 'He hasn't in...a very long time. And his current hair doesn't look gentlemanly enough.'

Shirogane's lips curled into a smile. 'I could cut your hair, Gonta-kun,' she offered. 'I have experience cutting and styling wigs, so I think I should be good enough.'

'Would you really?' Gonta's eyes widened. 'Gonta's afraid his hair is a mess right now...'

'Oh, you haven't seen what a newly-shipped wig can look like.' She waved her hand dismissively. 'I'd be happy to work with actual hair,' she insisted. 'I simply need something to cut it with.'

'Perhaps a kitchen knife,' Shinguuji suggested in a deadpan voice.

Amami chuckled under his breath. 'I'm not sure if a knife's gonna do the trick, whether its a kitchen knife or pocket knife or something,' he remarked, 'but I think I see scissors in the accessory bag.'

'Oh, of course,' Shirogane slapped her own forehead gently. 'That should do, hopefully.'

As Akamatsu looked around the room, watching this odd group of misfits more or less get along, she thought, she _felt_ in her heart the hope that it could stay like that for much, much longer.

Even though something deep inside told her that it was probably going to end quite soon.

Soon enough, Amami finished his work. Akamatsu looked at both of her hands in awe. One was sporting Shirogane's simple but cute pink gradient, the other Amami's more complicated design. He watched her impressed face with satisfaction.

'Both of you are amazing!' she exclaimed, showing off both sets to the others. Shirogane, who had almost finished cuting Gonta's unruly hair, was too focused to look, but everyone else seemed impressed.

'Have you considered,' Shinguuji asked Amami, 'that this might have been your talent? This is quite impressive work.'

'Oh, it's nothing big!' Amami protested. 'It's just something I do casually. I'm glad it looks alright, though.'

'Gonta thinks it should still be considered a talent. It looks really pretty.' He heard Shirogane sigh behind him and cleared his throat. 'Just like Shirogane-san is good at cutting and styling hair. Gonta could never tell she mostly has experience with wigs.'

He had been looking into Shirogane's hand mirror the entire time, watching his own hair get taken care of. When she finished, he got up from his seat, and it obvious that it isnn't weighing him down anymore, as he stood up straight proudly.

Amami looked at him, impressed. 'You really did a great job, Shirogane,' he remarked. 'You look great, Gonta,' he added, giving him a thumbs up.

Gonta scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly, flattered by the attention.

Akamatsu looked at the clock. She couldn't believe it was already late in the afternoon. She had spent the day surrounded by people she enjoyed the company of, so it passed quickly. She was suddenly hit with a wave of unidentified fatigue.

'I think I have to excuse myself,' she said, 'see you later, everyone.'

As she was leaving, she caught Amami's concerned expression. She smiled at him weakly. She then glanced back at Toujou sweeping the floor. Everything seemed alright.

She left the cafeteria and leaned against the floor, closing her eyes. She took a few deep breaths. She couldn't tell what was bothering her. Until...

'Kaede, are you okay?'

She opened her eyes. Angie was standing in front of her, too close for comfort, with a concerned expression, now staring right into her eyes.

'Oh, Angie...I'm fine,' she assured, putting on a brave face.

'Angie noticed you've been sad all day. Is that not true?' Angie asked innocently, tilting her head.

'I'm just a bit tired, I think... Thank you for worrrying about me, but it's not necessary,' she assured.

Angie's lips curled into a smile. 'Angie has an idea that might help you calm down, Kaede. She's been meaning to run it past you, but couldn't find you anywhere.'

Akamatsu raised her eyebrows. 'What did you have in mind? I'll listen, of course.'

'Angie thinks you're worried about the group,' she said, tilting her head the other way. 'Angie understands that. She believes in all of us, but maybe it would help if we did something together. So!' she clapped her hands, causing Akamatsu to flinch. 'Maybe we could organise a sleepover together. Angie thinks there's no better way to bond!'

'Sleepover?' Akamatsu considered the idea. It sounded harmless enough, although... 'Like, with all of us?'

'Angie thought it should be girls-only, but she's open to ideas!' Angie leaned forward, balancing on her heels.

'We should ask who'd want to take part, I guess...' Akamatsu muttered. 'Anyway, I think that's a great idea, Angie!' At the very least, it would take her mind off the tension.

Angie wrapped arms around her shoulders. It felt...oddly calming. She smelled vaguely like smelling salt.

'Angie knew you'd like the idea, Kaede!' she chirped right next to Akamatsu's ear. 'We shall ask the rest of the othr girls tomorrow, since it's kind of late now, and you're not feeling well!'

Akamatsu imagined asking Iruma or Harukawa to participate. She got the sinking feeling that she was going to have to be the one to take care of those two.

'Should we make actual invitations? Like, to hand out to everyone we see? With their name on it, and the time and everything?' she suggested semi-jokingly. 

Angie clasped her hands. 'Angie never thought of that! She'll get right on that!'

Akamatsu didn't have the heart to tell her that it's a silly idea. She was an artist after all.

'What time were you thinking anyway, Angie?' she asked instead. The wave of fatigue refused to leave, but she took solace in the approaching nighttime.

'Angie will let you know,' she responded vaguely. 'Please take care of yourself now, Kaede. You have to be totally fine tomorrow,' she demanded with an ominous smile. Akamatsu shuddered, but smiled back.

'Yeah, I'll do my best,' she promised.

Angie suddenly grabbed her hands. 'Wow, who did this? Angie thinks it's super pretty!'

'Shirogane-san and Amami-kun,' Akamatsu informed proudly.

'If you want, Angie can do your nails at the sleepover, too,' she offered. 'Angie doesn't wear makeup at all, herself.'

'Oh, is there a reason for that? Not like you need to, I mean,' Akamatsu backpedalled.

'There's just no reason to change what was already made perfect by god,' Angie answered innocently. 'Anyway, you should go rest, Kaede. Angie is worried about you.'

'Yeah, I'm gonna go do that,' Akamatsu promised, heading towards the dorms. 'See you tomorrow,' she called out weakly. Angie waved at her with a big smile before walking into the cafeteria.

As Akamatsu approached the dorms and searched for her ID, a door opened behind her. She turned around nervously.

'Oh. Good evening, Saihara-kun,' she greeted, relieved. 

He looked at her silently from underneath the bill of the hat. It was hard to tell what his eyes were trying to tell her. He cleared his throat.

'Good evening, Akamatsu-san,' he responded, and paused. 'I think I'm going to follow your advice,' he said finally.

Struggling to guess what advice he meant, she responded vaguely. 'Really? I'm glad!'

'I'm going to figure out the mystery of this place,' he said matter-of-factly. 'At least, I will try,' he added, trading confidence for realism.

'Oh? That's great!' she said absentmindedly, opening the door. 'Good luck with that. I believe in you.'

'Thank you, Akamatsu-san,' he muttered right before she closed the door. 

Akamatsu nearly tripped onto her own bed. She lied down on her back and looked at her extended hands. Two different painted sets of nails. One couldn't help but wonder if they mean something, symbollically. Perhaps, she thought, one hand symbollises her optimism, and the other doubt?

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

***

MONOKUMA THEATER

You know how in movies, sleepovers are always so boring and unrealistic?

It's always just talking about boys.

Maybe pillow fights.

Real sleepovers are nothing like that!

When I went to a sleepover, I stabbed the host and stole all their stuff.

By sleepover I mean, of course, hibernation.

Because I'm a bear.

For some reason, I was never invited to one again.

The End.

***

***

***

Saihara Shuuichi opened his eyes.

It was something like the middle of the night, but he couldn't sleep. He actually had something that needed to be taken care of. It was unfortunate that he couldn't bring himself to leave his bed. He'd been trying for a while, but kept having to do breathing exercises to calm down.

He sat up on the bed and revised the plan in his head.

He made a promise to himself that he would do it.

He had taken care of the theory, but it was time to finally act like a detective.

He got up from the bed and grabbed his ID. He was going to use it as a light if he had to.

Having hidden it in his pockt, he opened the door.

Then he headed out.

And then, he closed it behind himself.


	10. Chapter 1: Daily Life 5

Akamatsu Kaede opened her eyes.

The queasy feeling from the day before had gone away for the most part. She remembered the sight of everyone getting along and smiled to herself. Then, she remembered the sleepover planned for later today, with all the girls. She was going to have to talk to Angie about it. She still had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to have to help convince some of the girls to come, but she supposed it was worth it for the sake of bringing them together

She got up from the bed and stretched her arms and legs. It was definitely time for breakfast, if her growling stomach was anything to go by. She quickly washed her face and left the room with a hopeful smile – she actually felt energized for the first time in a while.

There was nobody waiting outside the cafeteria this time. She couldn't tell if it was a good sign or not, deciding to simply go inside to check who's there.

As per usual, Toujou was there, setting the food down on the plate. Amami, Gonta and Shirogane were standing off to the side – presumably brought together by the makeover the previous evening, although she could notice that Shirogane seemed to only respond to Gonta, whose new haircut brought on attention from Momota, who joined the group.

Seeing him reminded Akamatsu that Hoshi was missing again. She couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with his fight with Momota from the previous morning. She made a mental note to check on him sometime after breakfast, if he doesn't show up. The same went for Saihara, whose absence was less surprising but still gave her a bad feeling.

Ouma, Kiibo, Iruma, Harukawa and Shinguuji were not there as per usual. She wasn't particularly surprised by that, but she wondered if there was a way to convince them, excepting Iruma who seemed to be a lost cause. Regardless, nobody should be left all on their own, especially in such a situation as the one they were in right now.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Angie walking up to her to greet her loudly and cheerfully, as per usual.

'Good morning, Kaede!' she exclaimed, touching her shoulder.

'Morning...'Akamatsu responded hesitantly. 'How are the preparations going?'

'Oh, everything is going great!' Angie said, leading her towards the table. 'Some of the girls even said yes the first time Angie asked!'

'Oh?' Akamatsu raised her eyebrows. 'That's good, I think. Who?'

Angie pointed towards Tenko and Yumeno who were sitting nearby. 'Tenko and Himiko! Tenko was very excited for the idea,' she added.

Akamatsu looked at Tenko who nodded enthusiastically and glanced at Yumeno, who was chewing something slowly.

'Tenko thinks it's a great idea! She's always wanted to participate in a sleepover with girls,' she said with a dreamy sigh. Akamatsu smiled at her sympathetically.

'Me too. I haven't been to a sleepover in a long time,' she admitted. 'It's going to be fun!'

'I don't care either way,' Yumeno mumbled with a small yawn, 'as long you let me sleep. Although I am flustered for you will see my pyjamas,' she added, furrowing her brow.

'That's right... Tenko didn't even think about that...' Akamatsu watched as Tenko's eyes widened as if a whole new world opened in front of her.

'To be fair, all of us will be wearing pyjamas, so you won't be the only one,' Akamatsu pointed out quickly.

'That is true. You will all share my shame,' Yumeno agreed, looking down at her plate. Akamatsu cleared her throat.

'Angie tried to get Miu to come, but she just said a naughty word and pushed her out. Maybe you could try, Kaede?' she asked firmly. 'Maki just closed the door when she saw Angie, which was weird. Maybe she needs to hear it again!' she added, glancing at Akamatsu suggestively.

Just as expected. 'Yeah, I'll ask them,' she promised. She was going to check on them anyway. It was no skin off her back. 

She glanced back at the Amami group. They were still talking, but Amami himself was looking away. Their eyes met and he smiled at her weakly. She immediately understood that he wasn't too keen on listening to Momota. She was about to get up and talk to him, when a new incident occured.

'I'm sorry to interrupt,' Shinguuji said, entering the cafeteria, 'but I think there's something you might want to see.'

'What happened?' Toujou asked, approaching him. Her concerned expression contrasted with his complete lack of emotionality.

'Follow me to the library. We should hurry,' he said, leaving immediately. 

Akamatsu felt her heart leap into her throat, choking her up. She didn't know what to expect, but her brain ran through the list of people who weren't in the room with her. Did someone die...? That was an extreme conclusion to jump to, wasnn't it? The chances were low. She knew that. And yet, the anxiety rushed through her entire body.

Her eyes met Amami's again, right before she decided to lead the group outside after Shinguuji. This brief look calmed her down some. She could tell he was anxious as well, but his eyes told her it will be alright regardless. As she ran down the hall, with everyone's footsteps following her, she pondered the fact she always turned to him when she needed reassurance.

She slowed down in front of the library door and clenched her fists. The door was cracked open just a bit. She inhaled deeply, opened it fully and rushed inside.

What she saw was not too far off from what she had assumed the worst case scenario to be. A body, lying on the floor. The body of Saihara Shuuichi.

She kneeled down in front of him carefully. Shinguuji watched her silently. Everyone's shocked voices reached her through the bubble of anxiety that formed around her as she checked for pulse.

'Is that...'

'He's d-dead?'

'He sure looks dead!'

'But who did it?'

'Monokuma said there's going to be a trial, right? We'll have to find out!'

'There won't be a trial,' Akamatsu protested calmly, letting go of his limp wrist. 'He isn't dead,' she informed, getting up from her knees. Her legs were shaking. Shirogane ran up to her and grabbed her by the arms, holding her up.

'God kept him alive,' Angie insisted. 'But we should probably not keep him on the floor.'

'Yeah,' Akamatsu said weakly, 'he's all cold. I think he's been passed out for a few hours.' She cleared her throat and looked back. 'Gonta, could you carry him to his room?' she asked.

'I'll do it!' Momota interrupted. 'Yesterday I told him to train with me so he can defend himself, but he didn't listen,' he muttered, punching the nearest wall. 'At least I can do this for him now.'

'We can both do it,' Gonta offered peacefully, walking towards the unconscious body.

'I guess we can,' Momota sighed. He seemed disappointed that he wouldn't be the sole hero of this scenario. He helped Gonta pick the body up, careful not to hurt the passed out Saihara. That's when another interruption found them.

'Oh my,' Ouma's voice entered the room, 'did gloomy detective-chan get himself killed? How unfortunate.'

Akamatsu, along with everyone else, turned towards him. He had his hands resting on the back of his head casually, with a curious smile on his face.

'He's not dead,' Amami informed. 'But he's unconscious. We need to get him out of here.'

'Why?' Ouma shrugged. 'he was stupid enough to almost get himself killed, so he might as well.'

'Of course a menace like you would say something so cruel,' Tenko spat, glaring at him.

'How the fuck could you even say that?' Momota abandoned Gonta with the body and walked towards him. 'He didn't just get knocked out for no reason! I bet he snooped around and found something important! It's probably the bravest thing he's done in his life, for our sake!'

'For our sake? I doubt it,' Ouma remarked. 'But of course you would admire that, Momota-chan. You seem like the type to prefer acting like a hero over thinking things through. That's why you, too, will probably get bonked on the head one day!' he added, grinning. 'He wasn't careful enough and got caught. I don't see why I should care. Although,' he added, putting his hand up to his cheek, 'I appreciate him acting like a detective for once.'

'Momota-kun,' Akamatsu said firmly, 'please ignore him and get Saihara-kun out of here.'

'I don't appreciate being told what to do, but you're right. Let's go,' he said coldly, heading out with Gonta. Ouma watched as they left.

'Hey,' Amami started, 'did you just come here to annoy us? I'm not judging,' he added, 'I have younger siblings, so I can tell.'

'Hmm,' Ouma rolled his eyes. 'I just wanted to see what this fuss was about, but then this entire thing was too funny to pass up,' he explained.

'Ah,so it's exactly what I thought,' Amami remarked, nodding his head. 'You do have a point though-'

'D-does he?' Shirogane stuttered, now clinging onto Akamatsu.

'Oh, I don't mean any of the edgy things he said. I just wonder...' he looked at the spot where Saihara was found. 'Since his body was cold, that means he lied on the floor for a while, and he was still unconscious. Do you see where I'm going with that?'

'That means someone hit him hard enough to make him pass out for a few hours,' Akamatsu said weakly. 'And that someone was probably the mastermind.'

'Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But either way, someone hit him prety hard,' Amami continued. 'I think what that means for us is...we need to be careful. We won't know what happened until he tells us when he wakes up.'

'If he wakes up,' Ouma corrected. 'That's an important distinction, Amami-chan.'

Amami glanced back at him. 'Sure, sure. Anyway, I don't think there's much point in standing around here now, so if you don't mind, I'm gonna excuse myself.'

'Me, too,' Shirogane said shyly, letting go of Akamatsu. 'I think I will go check on Saihara-kun...I'm so worried.'

'I'll check on him later, too,' Akamatsu said, glancing at Ouma, 'but now I have something to do.'

'That's right.' Angie clasped her hands. 'You need to talk to Miu and Maki!'

'Oooh?' Are you two planning something?' Ouma asked, as only the three of them remained in the library.

Before Akamatsu could stop her, Angie answered. 'We're planning a sleepover, Kokichi!'

'Cool! Can I join?'

'Angie would say yes, but...' she glanced at Akamatsu. 'It's girls-only. Tenko would be very very angry.'

'Oh, boo.' Ouma pouted. 'I know for sure I'm not a girl, so I'll pass on that. I wouldn't want to mess with Chabashira-chan. I'lll see you aroud then, nishishi~' he said, leaving quickly. Akamatsu sighed in relief.

***

'I thought saying no once would be enough, but clearly I overestimated you plebs,' Iruma spat, her back turned towards Akamatsu.

'Are you sure you don't want to?' Akamatsu tried again.

'Why the fuck would I want to? Why would I want to hang out with all you fuckin' losers? I'm busy! Which part of that do you not understand?' Iruma growled.

'I think you want to hang out with us,' Akamatsu remarked, 'you just don't want to admit that.'

'Can you just fuck off? Do you know what no means?' Iruma glared at her, clenching her fists.

'I can, and I do. But I also know what you mean. I'm not going to pressure you, I just want you to know you're welcome there. Show up anytime, if you want,' Akamatsu said firmly, setting the invitation, given to her by Angie earlier, down on one of the boxes. She then turned around and left Iruma with her thoughts.

As soon as she left the warehouse, she ran into Shinguuji, who seemed to have rope tied around his waist, another piece of rope in one hand, and a pocketknife in the other. She jumped back a step.

'Hello, Shinguuji-kun. What are you...doing?' she asked nervously.

'Iruma-san said I can only take rope out of the warehouse if I help her cut it up for one of her machines,' he explained matter-of-factly. 'Now I'm bringing back her part.'

'What does she need rope for...what do you need rope for?' she asked weakly.

Shinguuji narrowed his eyes. 'That's private information, Akamatsu-san. At least right now it is. Should you want to discuss it later...'

'No, I think I figured it out...'

'That's fair enough,' he said with the faintest hint of disappointment.

***

Akamatsu rang the bell at Harukawa's door. She didn't expect to get a response at all – knowing the quiet woman's attitude.

Against her better judgement, the door opened slightly, and Harukawa peeked at her curiously.

'Akamatsu...' she muttered. 'Is this about the sleepover nonsense?' she asked, already knowing the answer.

'It is. But I don't want to pressure you into coming, I promise.'

'I find it hard to believe, but I might hear you out.' Harukawa hesitated, opening the door a bit wider. 'I reserve the right to cut you off whenever I please, though.'

'I just want you to know that if you want to come, you're welcome. I'd love to see you there...'

'Akamatsu. I see what you're doing. You say you'd want me there, but I know you don't mean it,' she said coldly, narrowing her eyes. 'You just want to pretend I'm included. I know I'm not. I don't care to be.'

'I...I do mean it, but I know you won't believe it. There's nothing I can do about that. But can I at least ask you to accept the invitation?' she asked desperately, holding it out. Harukawa glanced at it with obvious disdain. She hesitated before grabbing it slowly, still disinterested.

'If that'll get you to leave me alone,' she muttered. 'Are we done now?'

'I guess...I'm sorry for bothering you,' Akamatsu sighed.

'Nevermind that,' Harukawa whispered, closing the door. Akamatsu could have sworn that she saw a hint of melancholy on her face.

Sighing, she limped towards her own room. As she was getting out her ID, Gonta came out of Saihara's room, seeming lost in thought.

'Hey, Gonta-kun,' Akamatsu called out gently. 'How is he doing...?'

Gonta snapped out of his daze and looked at her miseraby. 'Gonta isn't sure. He's not dead, but he's not waking up. If we had a doctor here, maybe we would know. Oh,' he remembered, 'Toujou-san took the key to his room so we can always enter it and check on him.'

'That's good, thank you,' Akamatsu said sincerely. 'I'll check on him later.'

She entered her room and sighed deeply.

Did she want to talk to people, or did she just want to be alone? She wasn't sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.strawpoll.me/17381352 FTE voting, vote for two MAX!  
> PLEASE, EVERY VOTE MATTERS!  
> THANKS FOR READING!


	11. Chapter 1: Daily Life 6

Akamatsu decided that the best course of action was spending some time with people before the sleepover. And she happened to know exactly who was perfect for that – getting her mind off Saihara's condition and her own nerves.

***

'Hey, Akamatsu! Wanna get tea with me?'

She automatically smiled at Amami, grateful that he apparently read her mind. 'Yeah, I was just thinking about doing that.'

'Yeah, you looked like you want to talk over tea,' he remarked with a chuckle, having brought two cups over to the table.

'You know, if it was anybody else...' she started, letting the cup warm up her hands, 'I'd assume they're hitting on me.'

'Haha, really?' he scratched the back of his head with his hand. 'What kinda old school pick-up line even is that, 'wanna get tea with me'? I'm glad I don't come across like that to you, anyway...' he confessed with a sigh. 'People often make assumptions based on my appearance.'

'I can imagine,' she admitted. 'A few days ago, I might have made assumptions, myself...'

'Although,' he started, taking a sip, 'I did want to talk to you for reasons unrelated to flirting.'

'Oh?' she prompted, looking at him curiously. 'What is it, then? I mean, the feeling is mutual,' she added with a giggle.

'Some of the people in our group are kind of...overwhelming, don't you think? I mean, they're a bit,' he hesitated, 'intense.'

'Definitely,' she admitted, tilting her head slightly. 'I guess that's what it's like when you put so many talented people in one place. Although,' she added for the sake of fairness, 'I think some of us are relatively normal. Like...' she paused, knitting her eyebrows. 'Saihara-kun, I guess...'

'After finding him on the floor, I'm not so sure...' he muttered into his cup. 'I think everyone has their own quirks. But, anyway, I have a question for you.'

'What is it?' she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

'Who would you say is the most eccentric person here? Or unique?' he asked with a small smirk.

She thought about it thoroughly. 'That's a tough pick. Maybe Iruma-san...? Or Shinguuji-kun...' she added, remembering their latest run-in.

'Hmmm, yeah, that makes sense,' he said, tapping his fingertips on the table. 'Neither of us can really comprehend Iruma's talent, huh? But I feel like, as a person, she's not hard to understand. She just wants to be on top,' he added, chuckling into his cup. Seeing Akamatsu's expression, he cleared his throat. 'Shinguuji didn't make a good first impression, I guess. But once you talk to him, you'll see he's pretty chill...I'd say he can be really reliable.'

'Mmm, that makes sense,' she admitted. 'Actually, I think I'd have to pick Kiibo, after all. You can't really beat being a robot in terms of uniqueness.'

'True, true,' he agreed, nodding along. 'Though, I wonder if he'd appreciate the fact he's a robot being more important than his personality, you know? At the very least, he seems harmless. I think he's on our side.'

'On our side?' she raised her eyebrows. 'I assumed so, too. After all, he's locked with us here...and I don't think he has any weapons that could hurt us.'

'There's also the Three Laws of Robotics.'

'What's that about?'

'The short version is that if you program the AI correctly, the robot can't harm humans. Since we're all human, I assume we're safe...'

Akamatsu narrowed her eyes at him. 'I guess so. Amami-kun, I can't help but notice something...'

'What is it? You're looking at me kinda scary, haha...'

'Sorry. It's just that this entire time, we've been talking about other people. I never took you for a gossipy type,' she said with a smirk. 'And, more importantly, I kinda hoped I'd get to know you better...'

'Oh, I see... You know, the thing is...I don't really like talking about myself. There's nothing really interesting there.'

'Well, your memories are missing...'

'I don't think I'd remember anything interesting, honestly. What I do remember is a pretty regular life. Maybe I'm just a normal guy. I really don't care about that,' he said with a shrug. 'My only worry is that if I do have a talent, it might be something dangerous.'

'Dangerous? I really can't imagine that.' She giggled, poking her chin. 'I don't wanna be nosy or anything' she sighed. 'It's not like it matters that much...I think you're kind of amazing anyway.'

'Whoa, where did that come from?' he asked as his eyebrows rode up his forehead.

'Haha, sorry, it's just that...you're so observant. When you talk about other people, it feels like you really know them. And you seem so...composed. Almost relaxed. I wish I could be that calm in our situation...'

He smiled, covering her hand with his. If it were anybody else, it could feel invasive. Coming from him, it simply seemed like a brotherly gesture, comforting her. 

'That might be because I'm relaxed around you,' he admitted. 'It feels normal, even though we're in the middle of an abnormal situation. And, for what it's worth,' he added with a wink, 'I think you're holding it together pretty well.'

'Thanks, I guess,' she said, smiling back at him sincerely. 'I really believe we can get out of here together.'

'Despite everything?' he asked, smiling softly.

'Yeah. Despite everything. Saihara-kun is gonna wake up and tell us what happened. I bet it will help. And even without that,' she admitted with confidence, 'I feel relaxed with you, too, Amami-kun. I think we just have to support each other, right?'

'Sure,' he said sincerely. 'We'll survive in this circus full of weirdos, supreme leaders, and robots.' There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 'And, you know...when you say it, I somehow believe it. You really are convincing.'

The two of them continued talking over tea for a while, until Amami excused himself, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She decided she needed to talk to someone else.

***

'Hello, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou greeted Akamatsu when she entered the library, where the maid had been dusting off the bookshelves. 'Is there anything I can do for you?'

'Do for me?' Akamatsu's eyes widened in confusion. 'No, not particularly.'

'Why did you come to talk to me, then?' she asked, turning towards her.

'I just wanted to ask you to hang out...' Akamatsu muttered. Then, she realised what the question really meant. 'Sorry for confusing you, Toujou-san. I don't need any of your...maid stuff. I just wanted to talk.'

'You wish to have a chat? Very well, I don't mind that request,' Toujou admitted. 'However, if you desire anything, like a cup of tea, don't hesitate to ask for it.'

'I'll let you know,' Akamatsu assured. She decided against trying to argue that it wasn't really a request. 'You don't often talk casually to people, do you?'

'Not particularly. I simply perform tasks that are asked of me,' she responded matter-of factly. It didn't seem like she had any problems with that state.

'What about, like, your classmates? Assuming that you had them...' Akamatsu added tactfully. 'Didn't you talk to them? Like, during lunch breaks?'

'To a degree, yes,' she admitted. 'However, I'm not used to such conversations. They're too casual for my occupation,' she added, for the first time seeming to have any feelings about it.

'I see.' Akamatsu nodded along. 'Well, I don't want to make you uncomfortable...'

'I am not uncomfortable,' Toujou stated, shaking her head. 'On the contrary, I feel like I might be boring you, in which case I apologise.'

'Oh, no, don't worry about that!' Akamatsu protested, waving her hands. 'I could never be bored while talking to a pretty girl.'

'You know, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou said with a gentle smile, twirling her hair, 'under any other circumstances, I would have to call that inappropriate.'

'Haha, sorry. But for real, we're so different that I can't find anything you say boring. I've never met a maid before, and you're the best of the best! I definitely want to learn more.'

'I'm flattered, Akamatsu-san.' Toujou curtsied, the soft smile not leaving her face. 'However, it's just my job. I cannot accept praise for what's simply my duty.'

'I think it's still impressive,' Akamatsu insisted. 'Technically, playing the piano is my job, right? But it would be weird if I said people can't praise me for it, even though to me it's something that comes naturally.' She sighed deeply. 'I wish there was a piano here. Everyone here is so inspiring I already have multiple song ideas.'

'I'm sure you will make it out of here and play the piano again, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou assured. 'For now, perhaps you could keep track of your ideas in a notepad. I'm afraid I'm not sure how it works, so forgive me if I just said something out of place.'

'No, that's actually a great idea!' Akamatsu's face lit up with enthusiasm. 'I will have to do that, thank you. It won't be the same as getting to hear it, but it'll be something, at least.'

'I'm glad I could help,' Toujou said gently. 'Actually, Akamatsu-san, I do have a question for you, if you don't mind.'

'Oh, ask away, I don't mind.'

'I have asked about your food preferences, but I am unsure about the bedding materials.'

'...Bedding materials?'

'For example, pillows,' she explained, 'do you have any preferences when it comes to them?'

'Oh, I think the one I've got is good enough. The entire bed is, really...Can't complain.' She knit her eyebrows. 'Why do you ask?'

'Your comfort is my top priority. As I have mentioned, it's my duty to serve. It seems that most of you are satisfied with the provided pillows, though.'

'You really work hard, huh?' Akamatsu remembered something that she was hesitant to ask about. 'By the way, you have heard about the sleepover, right?'

'Yes, I have been informed about it.' She nodded. 'However, I am not going to participate in it,' she added.

'I'm not surprised, but...why?'

'Isn't it obvious? I should not participate in such things, unless it is simply to serve the participants.'

'So...you're not even interested in coming?' Akamatsu realised that it shouldn't surprise her. Toujou wasn't into casual conversations. It would be more surprising if she had agreed to come. However, understanding that didn't make her any more fine with it.

'I would be interested in providing food for you,' she admitted in response, 'but nothing more, I'm afraid. It would be inappropriate.'

'Would you really want to do that?' Akamatsu decided to cling onto that. 'I think the other girls would appreciate it, but I don't want to give you extra work...'

'Akamatsu-san,' Toujou scolded with a smile, 'I've told you before that I don't mind. I will get to work the instant you confirm the request. It is absolutely no problem.'

'Wait,' Akamatsu stopped her, 'before you go...you have the key to Saihara-kun's bedroom, right?'

'Indeed, I do. Gonta-kun asked me to take it. I am to check on him periodically throughout the day. Would you want to borrow it for now?'

'Yeah, I want to check on him real quick...I'll give it back before the sleepover, okay? And starting tomorrrow, we'll have to figure out a proper system for it.'

'I will come to collect it myself. The food should be ready right before nighttime, if that's alright.'

'I'd ask Angie-san about it, but it should be fine. Thank you so much,' Akamatsu said, grabbing the key. 'I'll make sure not to lose it.'

'I believe that. I should get to work now,' Toujou said, heading out of the room. Akamatsu looked at the key with a sigh.

She headed out of the library after a few minutes of sitting in the library all by herself. She didn't want to admit that she was feeling kind of nervous. Opting not to bother Toujou in the kitchen, she headed towards the dorms. She kept telling herself that there was absolutely no reason to worry about Saihara.

'Hello, Kaede.' She heard Angie's voice to her left.

'Oh, hi,' she greeted back, trying to not show she almost got a heart attack. '...What's up?'

'Angie talked to Kirumi. Apparently she's preparing food for the sleepover. How divine!' she exclaimed, clasping her hands.

'Yeah, she talked to me about that. I think that's the level of participation she's comfortable with...'

'That's good enough, then. Angie wishes everyone could come, though. Oh well!'

Akamatsu blinked slowly. 'Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?'

Angie nodded. 'Yes. Angie asked Monokuma if he's okay with the sleepover, and he is!'

'Wait...' Akamatsu felt herself panicking. 'You...talked to Monokuma? Like, asked him to come and he did?'

'Nyahaha, yes, of course!' Angie tilted her head. 'Angie just called out 'Monokuma!' and he came! And then she asked if it's okay for multiple people to sleep in one bedroom, just in case!'

'...And then I said, yes please, do whatever you want, you can even stab each other while you're at it!' Monokuma's voice said from behind them. Angie glanced at him, not dropping her wide smile.

'Angie doesn't recall that part, but it doesn't matter, since nobody is going to stab anyone!'

'Kya!' Akamatsu jumped away from the bear. 'You can''t just appear out of nowhere like that! Knock it out!'

'I can't? Says who?' Monokuma asked, bringing his paw up to his face. 'You shoud have thought about that before you called for me, you know!'

'I didn't- oh,' Akamatsu remembered Angie's demonstration of how she summoned Monokuma.

'Anyway, are you just planning to waste my time? I'm a busy bear, you know,' Monokuma said with a hint of warning.

'Actually, I have something to ask you about,' Akamatsu admitted slowly. She could feel Angie watching her curiously.

'I don't like the look on your face, Akamatsu-san, but shoot. Of course,' Monokuma added with a grin, 'I reserve the right to not answer any question I don't like.'

'I expected nothing less from you,' Akamatsu said coldly. New harsh tones could be clearly heard in her husky voice as she narrowed her eyes. 'Tell me what happened to Saihara-kun,' she demanded, 'and if you can't do that...please, at least tell me...what would happen if he never wakes up? What if he dies in his sleep? Would there be a trial?'

Monokuma's eyes shone, a dim tint of red. 'That's a lot of questions, Akamatsu-san. What do you think I am? It's not fair to ask a simple bear so many questions at once. But, because I'm in a good mood, I will answer some of them. You'd better be grateful!'

Akamatsu remained silent. Angie's eyes were now focused on Monokuma, a faint, curious smile on her face.

'Firrst of all, I can't tell you what happened to him. That would be cheating in case that he does die in his sleep. In which case,' the bear continued, grinning, 'we would hold a class trial, of course. No matter who dies, and how long it takes for them to die, it counts as murder.'

'What about death from natural causes?' Akamatsu growled. 'It's not murder in that case, is it?'

'How can you know if a dead body you find died of natural causes, exactly?' Monokuma asked. 'If you see somebody fell down the stairs, will you assume there's no way somebody pushed them down? You would make a terrible detective, Akamatsu-san! Good thing we have a professional in the group...oh, wait...'

'Ugh!' Akamatsu groaned. 'That's not helpful at all!'

'I answered your questions, Akamatsu-san. No refunds! If you don't like the rules, that's not my problem! They are what they are. I thought you were in favour of following the rules?'

Akamatsu remained silent.

'Monokuma, Angie thinks we know everything now. We won't waste any more of your time.'

'You'd better not! Oh, and have fun at the sleepover! Upupupupupupu!' Monokuma laughed loudly an disappeared as suddenly as he came. 

Angie grabbed Akamatsu's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. What she saw was cold fury and frustration, but she didn't seem intimidated by it at all, instead pulling Akamatsu into a hug.

'Kaede,' she said in a calming yet firm voice that demanded to be followed, 'Angie thinks you should go check on Shuuichi. It will make you feel better. Do you want Angie to go with you?'

Akamatsu let herself melt into the hug, closing her eyes. Angie's presence was perhaps even more calming than anybody else's, and she couldn't resist it at all.

'Y...Yeah. Let's go,' she mumbled into Angie's ear.

***

Saihara was definitely still alive, and just as definitely still unconscious. The girls watched as his chest moved slightly under the sheets. He didn't move at all otherwise, lying in the same position Gonta and Momota settled him down in earlier that day.

The one significance Akamatsu noticed was that his hat was now removed and put aside on his nightstand. His straight, dark hair covered his closed eyes, and she could now see that it actually seemed to have a natural blue-ish tint.

She couldn't notice anything else, such as injuries. She knew, logically, that he didn't just trip and fall – there was definitely a wound she wasn't seeing, and couldn't even begin to imagine where it was. For all she knew, he could have a hole in his head and broken ribs – she couldn't know it for sure without examining his body, which she had no interest in.

There was nothing any of them could do until he wakes up, it seemed. She hated that. She despised the thought of losing control of the situation, or not having any control to begin with. There was no other solution she could see at that moment.

Akamatsu sighed deeply, and she immediately felt Angie's hand grabbing her own and squeezing it gently. They looked at each other without a word. As always, Angie was smiling in that peculiar way somewhere between comforting and unsettling. In that moment, though, Akamatsu decided to simply find comfort in it. That was what she needed. She smiled back, and the two headed out.

'You should go change into your pyjamas, Kaede,' Angie advised once they closed the door. 'Angie will make sure her room is tidy and everything in the meantime,' she added, gently pushing her towards the bedroom.

'Oh, when should I come over?' Akamatsu asked absent-mindedly.

'Hmm...as soon as you're ready. Angie thinks that there's no need to set a specific time. It's gonna be nighttime soon, yes?'

'I guess...I'll let you take care of everything, Angie-san,' Akamatsu decided, smiling weakly.

***

'Is all this food for us?!' she exclaimed 45 minutes later, sitting on the floor of Angie's bedroom along with awestruck Tenko and Yumeno.

'Yes, it is,' Toujou, who was standing next to Angie by the door, answered. 'Is it not enough? If so, I apologise. That mistake won't happen again.'

'No, it's perfect,' Angie said quickly, clapping her hands. 'It's wonderful that you did this for us, Kirumi! Are you sure you don't want to stay?' she asked sincerely, although Akamatsu got the impression that she knew it was a pointless attempt.

'I'm sure,' Toujou assured calmly, glancing at Akamatsu. 'I have other duties to attend to, namely guarding Saihara-kun. However, I do hope that you will enjoy the meal and the other sleepover activities, whatever they might be.' She curtsied gracefully and excused herself.

Angie sat down along with the other girls. As a result, they formed half a circle in front of the food cart Toujou had brought.

Akamatsu scanned the room. It was incredibly tidy, with three futons tucked away by the bed – according to Angie, Toujou had helped her bring them over before the others arrived there. She was vaguely sad to notice that Iruma didn't show up. There was certain hope in her heart, but she reminded herself that forcing her into hanging out with them seemed like a terrible idea that would do more harm than good. The same applied to Harukawa, who presumably was sitting all alone next room over. Akamatsu would do almost anything to be able to convince her.

The person she was almost surprised to see missing was Shirogane. She guessed that it made sense – considering she was rather shy and introverted. However, she was still better at socializing than the others, though she had to admit that was a low bar.

'Tsumugi said she's too shy to come,' Angie explained to her earlier, 'but she lent us her makeup kit, which is so nice of her!'

'I see,' Akamatsu said, trying to hide her disappointment.

Now her eyes were firmly fixated on the food, along with four cups of tea. It was everything they could have wanted and more – she noticed a few different types of sandwiches as well as what looked like pie.

'Everyone,' Angie started, 'would you mind if I prayed before we start the feast?'

'No, please, go ahead,' Akamatsu insisted. She glanced over at Tenko, who was drooling a bit. 'But maybe make it a short prayer?'

'I shall cast a spell on the food to ensure that it will satiate us all,' Yumeno announced. 'It will let us sleep peacefully all night,' she added, clearly showing that good night's sleep was all she expected out of it.

Yumeno and Angie muttered to themselves for a while with their eyes closed. Akamatsu noticed that Tenko, who was sitting beside Yumeno, closed her eyes too, fully focused on sending her energy over to power up Yumeno's supposed spells. Seeing that, Akamatsu closed her eyes as well, smiling softly. All her worries were gone when she was around this group.

'Okay,' Angie said finally, 'now we can eat!'

Each of them grabbed what they wanted, and proceeded to eat in relative silence. It gave Akamatsu an opportunity to look at their nightwear.

She was wearing plain purple pyjamas with a music note motif in the front. Nothing special, but they were rather comfy. Tenko had her hair down, her twin braids undone. She was wearing a yukata-like teal outfit and her long socks. Yumeno seemed to just be wearing a plain black shirt and maroon shorts, matching her hair colour. Akamatsu remembered her embarrassment at the thought of the others seeing her pyjamas – now it seemed like an overreaction. Tenko, however, kept glancing at her in awe. Akamatsu smiled at the sight.

Finally, Angie – she was wearing a long nightshirt, with a multi-coloured pattern reminiscent of a fingerpainted picture.

Akamatsu couldn't help smiling. She hadn't been to a sleepover in years, and there was something comforting and nostalgic about having one in the middle of this terrifying killing game.

'Tenko has a question,' she stated, raising her hand. She was sitting beside Yumeno, who was slowly munching on a sandwich.

'What is it, Tenko?'

'Tenko has never been allowed to participate in a sleepover before,' she admitted, embarrassed, 'so she's not surre what they're all about.'

'According to my trusted sources of wisdom,' Yumeno said slowly, 'one must talk about boys during the feminine ritual of sleepovers. An important part of the ritual also involves throwing around pillows.'

'What are your sources of wisdom?' Akamatsu asked suspiciously.

'That's forbidden knowledge, Kaede,' Yumeno scolded in a deadpan voice. 'However, if you must know, it is the box of truth told through visions.'

'So, a TV,' Akamatsu muttered under her breath.

'Is talking about boys a necessity?' Tenko asked, scrunching up her nose. 'Tenko gets more than enough of them every day.'

'I'm not sure what kinds of modifications can be made to the ritual,' Yumeno admitted reluctantly. 'Kaede, you've been to sleepovers before, yes?'

'Oh, you can talk about whatever you want and do whatever you want,' Akamatsu assured. 'There are no real rules...'

'That's good,' Tenko sighed with relief. 'Does that mean we can talk about girls instead? Actually,' she clapped her hands, 'Yumeno-san, this is an opportunity for you to show us some of your magic! If you want to, of course,' she added sheepishly, glancing at Akamatsu.

'I brought my cards with me,' Yumeno admitted with a blank exprression, 'so I could do something simple with them. Nothing much, though, or else I'll get tired.'

She proceeded to show them some simple card tricks. Akamatsu watched as Tenko gasped in awe at all of them. Angie simply watched quietly with her usual smile. Yumeno seemed to gain a certain level of confidence from their reactions.

Soon enough, though, just like she warned, she got tired. She took a break, watching as Angie painted intricate patterns onto Tenko's fingernails. From what Akamatsu gathered, Yumeno herself had no interest in makeup and the like – in fact, she seemed to barely have interest in anything at all, especially when she was getting noticeably sleepy.

Shortly, Angie brought out the futons. She was going to sleep in her own bed, with the others sleeping on the floor between the bed and the desk. Luckily, the rooms were big enough to hold multiple people. As the other girls crawled into the futons, something strange happened.

Angie started singing, sitting on the edge of her bed. The song had an immediate relaxing effect, its rhythm slowly lulling Akamatsu to sleep. She couldn't understand a single word – presumably, it was a song Angie learned back home, perhaps a lullaby someone used to sing for her. Even though the literal meaning was lost on Akamatsu, the sound of the song, delivered in Angie's bright, inviting voice, wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

Before she knew it, she was asleep.

And after what seemed like five minutes, she was shocked awake again, in the middle of a dark room.

What woke her up was some sort of an announcement.

All she could make out of it was a few grim words.

'A body has been discovered.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the clifhanger babes~


	12. Chapter 1: Investigation

Akamatsu Kaede rubbed her eyes with her fingertips and opened them again.

'You heard it too, didn't you, Kaede?' Angie asked, sitting on the bed. Her light eyes seemed to shine in the dark when Akamatsu turned towards her.

'A body discovery...' Akamatsu muttered under her breath. She couldn't have slept for more than two hours or so. 'We have to find it...but first...' She started gently shaking Tenko's shoulder, fearing the worst.

'Wh-what!' Tenko shot awake, ready to flip whoever was in her way. 'Oh, it's you, Akamatsu-san! Why are you shaking me awake at this hour!' she asked matter-of-factly while Angie gently woke up Yumeno, who had heard the announcement but refused to let it get in the way of her sleep.

'Someone died, Chabashira-san,' Akamatsu informed patiently, 'I think...we should go out and find out what happened as soon as possible, before Monokuma punishes us or something,' she said weakly.

'Someone d-died?' Tenko's eyes widened in shock. 'Murder...that's unacceptable! Let's go!' She leaped out of her futon and assumed a battle stance.

'That's so inconvenient,' Yumeno complained, shaking lightly. 'Couldn't the heathen commit murder at a more reasonable hour?' she paused for a second. 'Or, preferably, not at all? Oh, well. Let us go,' she decided, allowing Angie to help her up.

Akamatsu pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt equal parts exhaustion and fear. The uncertainty was unbearable, but it was lessened somewhat upon seeing that the sleepover remained untouched by the murder in any way.

She grabbed her backpack and walked out the door, the others following behind her.  
It was time to face the uncertainty.

***

It didn't take them long to find the body. All it took was going to the second floor, really, following a scream of terror emitted by Shirogane.

Akamatsu stopped in her tracks as her eyes noticed the body lying on the floor – beneath the plant in the hall, illumiated by the star-like lights on the ceiling that she never noticed during daytime, the corpse lay on its back, with a bloody hole in its chest and a surprised expression on its face.

The body that, not long ago, belonged to Gokuhara Gonta, the gentle giant, entomologist.

Akamatsu wanted to scream, but found herself unable to, instead covering her face with her hands and breathing heavily. Behind her, Tenko cried out in terror, Yumeno covered her mouth as if she was about to throw up, and Angie began praying in silence.

'Terrible, huh?' Ouma's nonchalant voice popped up from the side. Akamatsu turned towards him angrily. Oddly, he appeeared to be wearing a dark cloak over his uniform.

'How are you so calm?' she growled with irritation. 'A person died!'

'Well, that's to be expected from this game, right?' he remarked with a shrug. 'I found the body, you know! I was sooo shaken, promise!'

'Ah, more of you found the body, congrats congrats!' Monokuma said, coming out of nowhere. It appeared that Tenko's scream attracted even more people, who were now going up the stairs. Monokuma's speech was now punctuated by the new round of reactions to the corpse. 'You're actually wrong, Ouma-kun,' the bear then informed. 'You're not the first person to find the body! The announcement goes off when three people discover it!'

'Aw, boo,' Ouma whined, 'I thought I'm special! Oh, well...I guess we'll have to find the other two,' he added, grinning at Akamatsu's group.

'Now, you bastards, I have a gift for you!' Monkouma clapped his paws. 

Akamatsu heard a notification going off in all fouteen Electronic IDs that now surrounded the body. She looked at hers. It appeared to be...

'The Monokuma File!' Monokuma announced tiumphantly. 'That's all the help you get from me, you losers! Now you're on your own! You get two hours before we start the trial, use them well!'

'Wait!' Akamatsu cried out desperately. 'We have to investigate in the middle of the night? Without lights on in the halls? Without sleep?'

'The murderer had to work in the dark as well, you know. Probably,' Monokuma added to be fair. 'You bastards know I'm all about even opportunity. If you have to be mad at someone, be mad that Ouma-kun found the body at like...whatever time it is right now.'

'But Saihara-kun can't participate in the trial,' she pointed out. Her legs were shaking despite her firm stance.

'What do you want me to do, wake him up somehow? He's unable to participate, so he won't. You all are perfectly capable, though, so stop wasting your own time and get on with it. Monokuma out!'

Having said that, he disappeared.

Akamatsu looked down at the file, hoping it would help her somehow.

The victim is, of course, Gokuhara Gonta.

Cause of death...stabbed in the heart, died instantly. She shuddered, looking at the dark hole in his chest.

Other injuries...mild head trauma and dislocated shoulder caused by the fall.

There was nothing more. The most glaring oversight was the lack of mention of the time of death. That seemed significant.

She put her ID back in her pocket. She would have preferred not to have to investigate in her pyjamas, but there was no time to waste on that now. What bothered her more was the crushing realisation that she was going to have to investigate and participate in the trial both without sleep and without Saihara's professional help.

*** INVESTIGATION START ***

 

She had to start with the body, however terrifying that thought was.

Gonta's face, now bare since his glasses had fallen of, was stuck in a look of surprise. It was fitting, she supposed. Whoever stabbed him was probably someone he trusted...so it's natural that he wouldn't expect the attack. She felt herself grimacing at that thought. Was one of them really capable of that?

However much she dreaded that, she had to examine the fatal wound. The knife had been taken out of it, leaving a relatively shallow hole. In the process, some of the blood had splashed over his shirt and onto the floor, creating a small pool. It didn't seem like there was anything else of interest.

'Ouma-kun?' she called out, turning back around. Some people had left, probably to investigate elsewhere, but he was still there. As if he was waiting for her.

'What is it, Akamatsu-chan?' he asked innocently, walking over. Tenko glared at him silently.

'You didn't do anything to the body, did you?' Akamatsu asked firmly.

'Me? Nope,' he claimed, shaking his head. 'I couldn't move the body if I tried,' he added, holding his arms out for emphasis.

'I was thinking more along the lines of stealing the knife,' she admitted coldly.

'It was already missing,' he declared, grinning smugly. 'Besides, what would I gain from that?'

Akamatsu felt her consciousness slipping away. 'Kiibo-kun?' she called out, ignoring Ouma.

'Yes?' the robot perked up, eagerr to help.

'I was wondering if you have any function that would let you scan the wound or something,' she admitted hopefully.

'Ah, I'm sorry but my eyesight is actually quite bad,' Kiibo explained. 'In fact, most of my senses are limited.'

'Wow, you're pretty useless for a robot,' Ouma teased.

'Despite my limitations,' Kiibo argued, turning towards him, 'I am a technological marvel. My programming is very advanced, but my purpose is not being strong or possessing sensitive senses. It's forming a database based on human interactions to improve my intelligence. According to my database,' he informed confidently, 'what you said was unnecessary and rude, and suggests lack of emotional maturity.'

Ouma remained silent as Iruma laughed hysterically in the background. Akamatsu shook her head in resignation. None of that was appropriate in the presence of a dead body.

'Listen, I think somebody should stay here and guard the body so the culprit, or anybody else, can't mess with the body while were investigating,' she proposed to the group that was still there. 'Um...' She looked around, 'Chabashira-san, would you?'

'Of course Tenko will! She will make sure nobody even comes close!'

'Wait, that's a job for a ma-' Momota stopped himself and cleared his throat. 'I mean, maybe it'd be safer to have two people standing guard.'

Tenko narrowed her eyes at him. 'Are you saying Tenko can't do it by herself? Tenko supposes that it won't hurt though. That is,' she smiled sadistically, 'as long as you don't get in Tenko's way. Or talk to her. Or touch her.'

Akamatsu decided to let them try to cooperate. She didn't have the energy to ease the tension herself at that moment. 'Okay, I think two people are a safe option. I'm counting on you, Chabashira-san.'

***

Akamatsu wasn't sure where else to investigate, but she decided that her best bet is talking to everyone she meets. She was glad that the sleepover group appeared to have tight alibis, at least – it was one less thing to worry about.

'Kiibo-kun, can you tell me about your night? I need to figure out what happened, you know...'

'Ah, yes! I understand! Here is my report,' the robot started, eager to help, 'I'm afraid I can't help much, but Iruma-san and I spent the night in the warehouse. I can vouch for the fact she never went anywhere else – I watched her closely to prevent any illegal activities. I don't need to sleep every night, and as such it did not tire me at all!' he added proudly.

'I believe all that. Iruma-san has been working hard, huh?'

'Indeed! I don't quite understand what the purpose of the latest invention is, but Iruma-san has been working on it for a few hours before the announcement interrupted her.'

'Kiibs, are you spoiling the surprise?' Iruma joined them, having overheard the last sentence. 'Eh, I guess Bakamatsu can know. I'm making a shibari machine!' she exclaimed.

'Well, now everyone will know...' Akamatsu muttered underr her breath. 'I heard you were working in the warehouse all night?'

'Yeah, not like it's any of your business, but I was!' Iruma confirmed. 'Nobody could have snuck into the warehouse without me or Kiibs noticing,' she assured.

***

'Akamatsu, do you have a moment?'

'What is it, Hoshi-kun?'

'I found something that might interest you in the boys' room. Figured you might not be comfortable going in there,' he explained with a shrug.

'That's thoughtful of you, thanks,' Akamatsu said with a smile, despite her bad feeling. 'What did you find?'

'A bloodstain on the floor,' he said calmly. 'Whoever left it either didn't notice or was in too much hurry to take care of it...'

'That sounds important,' Akamatsu admitted, deep in thought. 'Where is it exactly?'

'Mostly by the door,' he informed. 'I wouldn't have been able to see it if I wasn't looking for it, so I can see how the guy might have missed it...'

'I see. Thank you...' she hesitated for a moment. 'While we're here, could you-'

'You want my alibi, right? I have to disappoint you. I was asleep until I heard the announcement. I'm not much help.'

'No, you were a lot of help, thank you!'

'You know, Akamatsu. I hate to say I told you so...but I warned you, didn't I? That someone would die?' he sighed deeply. 'It's too bad it had to be a guy like him...'

***

'Hello, Akamatsu-san. Were you hoping to find some clues in the library?'

'I'm desperate...I have no idea where I can find any more clues. This is torture. But maybe you have something that could help me, Shinguuji-kun?'

'I see.' Shinguuji tapped his finger against his cheek. 'Actually, I might have something valuable to say. I will let you decide how important it is,' he added. She wished she could see his expression properly.

'Oh? What is it?'

'I believe I might be one of the last people who saw the victim alive, is all,' he said casually.

Akamatsu's eyes widened. Was that supposed to be a joke? 'That's super important! Please, go on!'

'See, I spent the evening here, at the library. I was fascinated by his story about living in the wilderness, so I attempted to find the exact location and find out more about its culture. You understand, of course, why that would be my area of interest. Then, I went up to him – he was sitting on one of the benches around the tree – and consulted him about my findings. We didn't get to talk for long, though.'

'Why is that?' Akamatsu felt awake for the first time that night.

'He said he was waiting for someone,' Shinguuji informed with emphasis. 'So I came back to the library to continue reading. He seemed rather nervous about it.'

'Waiting for someone...' Akamatsu looked at the library clock. The time was approaching half past three in the morning. 'When was that, Shinguuji-kun?'

'I don't have a habit of looking at clocks everytime I enter or leave a room,' Shinguuji remarked, 'but I'd say it was around midnight. Perhaps a bit earlier.'

'I see,' Akamatsu said weakly, deep in thought. 'That's very helpful. Amami-kun really was right about you,' she said before she could stop herself.

Shinguuji narrowed his eyes at her curiously. 'What did he say, if I may ask?'

'That you're really calm and reliable,' she recited, embarrassed. Shinguuji appeared to be taking the information in.

'Interesting,' he said at last.

***

'Dammit, we can't enter the cafeteria?' Akamatsu complained.

'I suppose it's because the culprit didn't have access to it either...' Shirogane guessed. 'Monokuma really isn't making it any easier for us. It's plainly cruel, but fair in a convoluted way...'

'It's not fair at all!' Akamatsu exclaimed, kicking the door. 'The culprit could have entered it before the nighttime!'

'I-I guess,' Shirogane admitted, but then she added, 'but they wouldn't be able to enter it after the murder, right? As in, to put the knife back. S-so it has to be somewhere else.'

'That's a good point,' Akamatsu agreed hesitantly.

'The culprit couldn't have entered the cafteria before nighttime,' Toujou, who had just joined them, claimed. 'I didn't leave the kitchen until nighttime fell. Remember, Akamatsu-san, I was making sandwiches for the sleepover,' she added.

'Oh, right! So, you're sure none of the knives were missing?'

'Positive. I swear on my life,' Toujou claimed. 'I was looking at them the entire time. I left the kitchen once I heard the nighttime announcement, and nobody could have snuck inside afterwards. Needless to add, I did not take any of the knives,' she added firmly.

'I-I wasn't gonna suggestt that,' Shirogane assured immediately. 'So the knife definitely didn't come from the kitchen? That's so confusing...Ah, we should probably share alibis, r-right? I fell asleep the instant the nighttime announcement went off...'

'I participated in the sleepover with Yumeno-san, Chabashira-san, and Angie-san. None of us could have snuck out without the others noticing, so I can vouch for the others,' Akamatsu declared confidently.

'After delivering the sandwiches and tea, I checked on Saihara-kun. After that, I simply went to my room to organise the list of tasks for tomorrow and rest. I have the task list with me,' she added.

'I believe you, Toujou-san,' Akamatsu reassured her as Shirogane nodded.

***

'What do you want? My alibi?' Harukawa squinted at Akamatsu, who was now temporarily joined on her quest by a nervous Shirogane.

'We want to know where everyone was, okay? It's nothing personal,' Akamatsu informed defensively. 'You don't have to tell me, but it would help-'

'I don't have one,' Harukawa stated boldly, sticking her jaw out, 'I was in my room all night. What I did there is not your business. Is that all you wanted from me?' she asked impatiently, ready to close the door again.

'It can't be helped if you don't have anything more to tell me,' Akamatsu said with a sigh, 'I just want you to know that I will protect you if you're innocent. I promise you that much.'

Harukawa squinted with irritation. 'I don't need your protection. Now leave.'

***

'Amami-kun, do you have a moment?'

'Oh, Akamatsu.' A smile forced its way onto Amami's face. 'And Shirogane. I assume you have a question for me?'

'I don't want to be insensitive,' Akamatsu assured, 'since I know you and Gonta-kun were pretty close.'

'I'll be honest, I'm barely keeping it together,' Amami said, scratching the back of his head. Akamatsu was convinced that he had been crying. 'But feel free to ask anything,' he added. 'I want to find his killer...I need to find his killer.'

'Thank you,' Akamatsu whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. 'I heard from Shinguuji-kun that Gonta-kun said he was going to meet up with someone. Do you have any idea who it could have been? You knew him better than I did, so...'

'He probably meant me,' Amami said simply.

'That's what I assumed...' Akamatsu admitted. 'But did you...?'

'I went to meet up with him, yeah. He seemed pretty upset when he told me he wants to talk, so I knew it's serious... But I never found out what it was, because he was dead by the time I got there.'

'Oh...' Akamatsu covered her mouth. Shirogane sniffled.

'Yeah...I got there around half past one in the morning. He chose a really late hour because he wanted to make sure that nobody would interrupt us, but, well...'

'Is there a chance someone overheard your plans?'

'There always is,' Amami said with a sad smile, 'but I thought we're alone, if that's what you want to know.'

'I think that's all we need to know. Sorry for bothering you, Amami-kun,' Shirogane said, her face not betraying any feelings.

***

 

'Ouma-kun.'

'Oh, my beloved Akamatsu-chan! And Shirogane-chan! I see I'm popular tonight!'

'That's not the time to be joking, you know?' Akamatsu scolded him. 'We need to talk.'

'Forceful! I like that!' Ouma grinned, playing with his cloak 'Under one condition, though!'

'Ugh. What is it?'

'Akamatsu-chan only,' Ouma demanded, balancing on his feet. 'Or I won't say anything!'

Akamatsu and Shirogane looked at each other. The latter nodded quietly and leaned towards Akamatsu's ear. 'Good luck,' she whispered sincerely before walking away.

Akamatsu sighed and looked at Ouma, who had the audacity to give her a toothy smile. 'Tell me everything you know, Ouma-kun. I can tell you know something I don't and I don't like that.'

'Oooh, everything? I don't think I can do that, even for my dear Akamatsu-chan,' he informed. 'Buuuuut, I'll tell you some things that I think will interest you specifically. Under a certain condition, though.'

'Another condition?' Akamatsu growled, folding her arms over her chest.

'No need to get angry! I just want you to say 'please',' he explained.

'Urgh.' She rolled her eyes. 'Please, tell me already.'

'Now that's more like it,' Ouma remarked, overjoyed. 'Always be polite, Akamatsu-san! Anyway,' he leaned forward until his lips were right next to her ear. 'I won't repeat myself even if you beg. I bet you're curious as to why I was out so late when I found the body, right? You're so predictable, Akamatsu-chan. The answer is simple. I was suspicious of someone, so I stayed out to see if I was right. Then I just watched and went after them. I bet you're dying to know, huh? Well, I won't tell! But I'll say...someone from your precious sleepover doesn't have as strong an alibi as you think, nishishi~'

'Wait, huh...'

'No questions, Akamatsu-chan. Let this be a gift from me to you. It's aaaaaaaaaalmost all I know, anyway.' He shrugged. 'My cloak is pretty cool, isn't it?' he added suddenly. 'It actual comes with my uniform. I might start wearing it perrmanently now~'

'You look like a nerd,' Akamatsu muttered.

***

'Thank goodness you're back, Akamatsu-san,' Tenko sighed with relief upon seeing her climb back up the stairs, 'the menace dared to talk to Tenko, but she got some information out of him so she decided he can live for now.'

'Where is he now?' Akamatsu asked cautiously, looking around.

'Bathroom,' Tenko explained, shuddering. 'He said he went to sleep at eleven in the evening and saw Toujou-san leaving Saihara-san's room. He made a dirty comment about it, which Tenko is not going to repeat.'

'That confirms what Toujou-san said, then,' Akamatsu said, relieved. 'Anything else?'

'Tenko has her own observation she forgot to share earlier, but she's not sure how important it is...'

'Anything can matter,' Akamatsu assured her. She noticed Angie sitting by the tree with her eyes closed. Presumably, she was praying for Gonta's soul.

'Before we left the bedroom,' Tenko whispered, covering her mouth, 'Tenko got the impulse to touch Angie-san's bed. She's not sure if it's important, but...'

'Yeah?' Akamatsu encouraged, still looking at Angie's peaceful figure behind Tenko.

'It wasn't warm at all, as if she never lied in it tonight.'

Before Akamatsu could respond in any way, an announcement began playing from the speaker above them, causing her to flinch.

'ATTENTION! The investion period is over! All students, please gather on the first floor in front of the gym and enter the elevator there! See you at the trial, upupu!'


	13. Chapter 1: Trial 1

Akamatsu quickly headed to her bedroom to change out of her pyjamas. She decided that the trial announcement wouldn't stop her from keeping that bit of her dignity.

As she rushed back down the corridor, she took note of how everyone else was dressed – perhaps that could end up being a clue? In that moment, she wished that she got more sleep, even an hour or two could help combat the overwhelming sleepiness that had overcome her.

Everyone except for the girls from the sleepover was wearing their usual clothes. That made sense, she supposed. Everyone who went to bed presumably slept in their own rooms, so they could get dressed before heading outside. She wished there were more clues she could find on the spot – the feeling that she haad forgotten something was haunting her.

She knew, specifically, that nobody ever found the murder weapon. Someone, she knew, even checked in Saihara's bedroom, where he still lay unconscious. She knew, realistically, that it had to be somewhere, and the failure to locate it worried her.

She just had to walk into the trial with the clues she had, and make the best of them. She trusted that the group would work together, even if she could hear Ouma mocking her and see Hoshi smirking smugly in her head. She had to prove them wrong.

As soon as everyone gathered in the hall in front of the elevator, its doors opened, revealing a wide platform that easily allowed them all enough space to be able to breathe easily. The door closed, and the platform began moving downwards, sending them on their way to the trial.

That was when Akamatsu, looking around the elevator, realised with certainty that one of the people inside would never make it back to the surface. Alternatively, if they fail, none of them will. She shook the thought off.

The silent, excruciatingly long ride filled her with dread. She needed a distraction, but the only thing she had left was going through the evidence she had gathered one final time.

TRUTH BULLETS:

Monokuma file  
>The victim is Gokuhara Gonta. He died from being stabbed in the heart. Death was instanteous. Some injuries caused by the body's fall.

Ouma's testimony  
>He stayed out late out of suspicion for someone who participated in the sleepover. He also set off the body discovery announcement by being the third person to find the body.

Amami's testimony  
>He claims Gonta asked him to meet him on the second floor around 1:30AM, for reasons unknown. By the time he got there, Gonta was dead.

Tenko's testimony  
>According to Tenko, Angie's bed was cold, as if she never slept in it tonight. 

Missing murder weapon  
>The murder weapon has not been found. It was missing from the crime scene. All that is known about is that it's a sharp object, most likely a knife.

Nighttime rules  
>The gym and cafeteria close for the students at 10PM and remain closed until 7AM according to the rules of the game.

Sleepover  
>Yonaga Angie, Chabashira Tenko, Yumeno Himiko and Akamatsu Kaede participated in a sleepover from 10PM until the body discovery announcement around 2:30. Yumeno, Chabashira and Akamatsu fell asleep around 1AM.

Shinguuji's testimony  
>Shinguuji stayed up in the library. Around half past eleven, he left the library and went to the second floor to talk to Gonta. Upon finding out that Gonta is waiting for someone, he returned to the library. He claims that Gonta seemed nervous.

Bloodstains in the bathroom  
>Bloodstain by the boys' room door, found by Hoshi. It's easy to miss, so it was presumably missed by the culprit.

The state of the body  
>The body doesn't appear to have been moved by anyone. It seems that Gonta was shocked by the attack, since his eyes are wide open. There is some blood splatter on the floor and his chest.

Kiibo's testimony  
>He and Iruma remained in the warehouse, working on Iruma's new invention, until the body discovery announcement played. Neither of them noticed anybody entering the warehouse.

Toujou's testimony  
>She stayed in the kitchen, preparing food and drink for the sleepover, until the nighttime announcement played. She claims none of the kitchen knives were gone. Afterwards, she went to check on Saihara until some time after 11PM.

Would all that be enough? She wasn't even sure who she suspected. She deeply wanted to trust everyone there. And yet, she knew with certainty that finding the truth is the priority.

Even if it was going to hurt.

That was what she told Saihara, wasn't it? Her feelings didn't matter. Not here. The only way to survive this trial was to forget about herself, and her feelings, and anything that she might feel for the culprit in particular.

The feeling was somewhat similar to the stress before a big perfomance. Whenever she was about to play her piano for a huge audience, what calmed her down was the thought of the smiles her music would bring onto people's faces. There was no such relief here – there were no smiles only lives to protect or end. She had to do her best not to let anyone down.

That was when a hand gently touched her shooulder. She turned around, startled but not making a sound. Amami's calm face smiled down at her encouragingly. She smiled back weakly.

And then, the elevator door opened once again, at last, after what felt like forever.

Akamatsu took a deep breath and stepped outside.

***

'Welcome, you bastards!' Monokuma greeted them cheerfully.

Akamatsu looked around the courtroom. 

It was...unsurprisingly tasteless. Kept mostly in dark colours but decorated with jarring, pink stained glass paintings. She heard some people behind her complain about the interior design, but she had bigger concerns.

'How can you act like this,' she growled at Monokuma, 'as if you really enjoy our sufferring?'

'Because I do,' Monokuma explained straightforwardly. 'There's nothing more fun than causing the suffering of people you have nothing to do with and watching them squirm.'

'Oooh, that's a revolting attitude,' Ouma muttered excitedly, 'I approve!'

'That's disgusting,' Tenko remarked, grimacing. 'You're the worst!'

'I may be the worst, but in this scenario, I still win everytime!' Monokuma retorted with a grin. 'You wanna keep wasting time on being offended, or should we start the fun part of the deal?'

'Get on with it!' Iruma boomed from the back. 'I have shit to do!'

'Then you better do your best in this trial, or you're going to die! Anyway,' he said more casually, 'the seats have your names on them, so why don't you all find yours and sit down?'

It was time for the first trial, the game of life and death between the murderer of Gokuhara Gonta and the rest of the students. Who was going to win this round. Who, in fact, was the enemy? She couldn't tell yet, but a part of her couldn't believe that anybody in the group would be capable of hurting Gonta. Firstly, because he would never hurt a fly, and as such hurting him seemed like a special case of unforgivable violence against the innocent. Secondly, despite his soft heart, he was strong – strong as a person and strong physically. She had a hard time imagining any of them overpowering him.

There was a certain irony to the man who wanted to be a gentleman dying in the middle of the night and inconveniencing everyone in the process.

Akamatsu remembered the time when Shirogane gave him his long awaited haircut, and then the time when he carried Saihara's body back to his room ever so carefully, and her heart sank. No, she couldn't imagine why anyone would want him dead.

However, that person existed. And she could never forgive them.

***

MONOKUMA: Before we begin, let's go over the rules of the Class Trial! Pay attention, everyone!

MONOKUMA: The goal of the trial is to identify the culprit. The outcome will be decided by vote.

MONOKUMA: If your vote is correct, the culprit, and the culprit alone, will be executed. However, if you vote for the wrong person, everyone but the true culprit will be punished. The culprit will then 'graduate,' allowing them to leave the school.

MONOKUMA: Also, you can't refrain from voting. Anyone who doesn't vote will also be punished.

MONOKUMA: Anyway, that's all from me! Let's start the trial!

AKAMATSU: _(under her breath)_ So it begins...

OUMA: It's been a while since my last trial! I'm sooooo excited!

SHIROGANE: _(concerned)_ So, you have experience?

OUMA: _(proudly)_ Oh, yeah. I'm a supreme leader, after all. I've been involved in all sorts of bad things!

AKAMATSU: Actually, before we start for real, can I have a question for Monokuma?

MONOKUMA: Hmmm...I'll allow it. What is it, Akamatsu-san?

AKAMATSU: _(sticking her jaw out)_ What guarantee do we have that you're not the murderer?

MONOKUMA: _(offended)_ Me, a simple bear? I give you my word that it's not me – it's definitely one of you bastards. Now get on with it! I need my beauty sleep, so the sooner you figure it out, the better!

MOMOTA: Where should we even start?

TOUJOU: Since this trial is so unlike a regular one, we will have to decide what to discuss on our own. There are no guidelines we can use, and all of us have to fulfill the roles of prosecution, defence, and suspect simultaneously. That being said, if I may have a suggestion...

IRUMA: Get to the point already, goth tits! We don't have all night.

AKAMATSU: Please go ahead, Toujou-san...

TOUJOU: _(clearing her throat)_ I believe that the easiest way to start would be with information we all have. The Monokuma File.

AKAMATSU: That's a good idea! Let's all look at it and go from there.

AMAMI: I think more than what's in the file, what seems significant is what's missing from it.

What's missing from the file...

AKAMATSU: The time of death.

AMAMI: Exactly. I think we should try to narrow it down and then try to discuss everyone's alibi. Sounds good.

IRUMA: Everything sounds good in that sexy voice of yours!

AMAMI: ...Thanks?

AKAMATSU: Anyway, I guess it's time to discuss the time of death!

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT

SHIROGANE: So, Ouma-kun is the person who triggered the body discovery announcement, right?

IRUMA: Assuming his twink ass ain't lying!

OUMA: I guess we'll never know~!

SHIROGANE: …

AKAMATSU: No, he's definitely the one.

SHIROGANE: So we know the death happened before that point, right? But we don't know when it could have happened at the earliest.

IRUMA: That was a useless observation, then, flat-ass otaku!

TOUJOU: Do we know who's the last person who saw the victim alive?

AKAMATSU: Actually, we do!

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT: BREAK

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun, you're the last person who saw him alive, right?

SHINGUUJI: Indeed, it seems so. I left the library, where I had been doing research, and went upstairs. That was around midnight. There, I talked to him for a while, before going back to the library, where I remained until I heard the body discovery announcement.

YUMENO: What did you discuss with him? Bugs in folklore or some such thing?

SHINGUUJI: We discussed things related to his plac of birth. It doesn't seem important to the murder, though. However, he told me he was waiting for someone to show up, which might be significant. He didn't tell me who, though.

AKAMATSU: But I think I know who it was. Right, Amami-kun?

AMAMI: Yeah. Earlier in the day, he said he wants to talk about something important. He never specified what it was, but I agreed to talk, especially since we'd been hanging out every evening anyway. I can't imagine he was talking about anybody else, so...

IRUMA: No way! Tree trunk dick wanted to ask you out and you literally stabbed him in the heart?

AMAMI: ...Huh?

AKAMATSU: ...I think we're jumping to conclusions here.

IRUMA: But that's what it sounds like! And we don't know what he actually wanted from him, right? I totally understand why he'd wanna bang ya! _(cackles)_

AMAMI: ...Anyway. When I went upstairs, I...I found his dead body. I never found out why he called me up there. I stayed up there for a bit because I was so shocked...and then I went back to my room to calm down.

TOUJOU: What time was that, approximately? Regardless, that's very useful information.

AMAMI: It was around 1:30AM, I'm pretty sure. Give or take five minutes.

TOUJOU: Then, the time of death falls between midnight and half past one in the morning.

AKAMATSU: We're making progress! Good job everyone!

OUMA: ...But how do you know nobody's lying about that?

AKAMATSU: _(glancing at him with a sigh)_ We have to believe someone for now, even if it turns out they lied later. If we doubt everyone who speaks up, we won't get anywhere.

HOSHI: That's reasonable. We won't be able to find contradictions if we don't let everyone say their part and then compare.

OUMA: _(whining)_ Fiiiiiiiiine. I just want to make sure Akamatsu-chan remembers someone out here is a killer, and might do their best to sell her as much information as possible. Now wouldn't that be helpful? Nishishi~

AKAMATSU: _(through gritted teeth)_ I'm aware. But, Ouma-kun, you seem like the only person here who would do that.

OUMA: _(smiling softly)_ …

MOMOTA: All right! So, we got the time. What now?

TOUJOU: Alibis, yes? For the timeframe we established?

HOSHI: I don't have one. I was asleep all night, but it's not like I can prove it.

SHIROGANE: Ah, me too. I went to sleep before the nighttime announcement...

HARUKAWA: I stayed in my room all night. Take it as you want.

YUMENO: I honestly don't recall where I was last night. I just remember sleeping.

AKAMATSU: _(patiently)_ We had a sleepover, Yumeno-san. You, me, Angie-san, and Chabashira-san. Remember?

YUMENO: Oh. That sounds plausible. We all have alibis, then?

AKAMATSU: _(glancing at Ouma briefly)_ Yeah, I guess we do. We were doing things together until we became sleepy, and then we all slept together. We would have noticed if one of us tried to sneak out.

IRUMA: _(drooling)_ Man, you had a foursome? Now I wish I joined your shitty sleepover!

YONAGA: _(calmly)_ Angie thinks Miu needs God.

IRUMA: I might, honestly. The things I'd-

YONAGA: Angie has decided that Miu should stay far away from God, actually.

CHABASHIRA: ...Either way, Tenko thinks that our alibi is solid. Iruma-san, what about yours?

IRUMA: _(shivering)_ M-me? Are you doubting my innocence?

YUMENO: We're doubting everyone. That's what the trial is about.

KIIBO: I can provide Iruma-san's alibi! Allow me!

OUMA: _(excitedly)_ Oooooooh, a white knight!

KIIBO: I don't understand that phrase, so I'll take it as a compliment!

AKAMATSU: ...Please, go on, Kiibo-kun. You were with Iruma-san all night, right?

IRUMA: _(blushing and squirming)_ Someone could take it the wrong way when you put it like that!

OUMA: Nobody will. Even Kiiboy is too good for that. Plus, I don't think he has a-

AKAMATSU: _(with emphasis)_ Kiibo-kun, please go on.

KIIBO: Thank you, Akamatsu-san! Iruma-san and I spent the night in the warehouse, where I made sure she wasn't doing anything illegal! Which is what I do everytime she enters the warehouse!

YUMENO: So, like, all the time?

KIIBO: _(proudly)_ Almost! Thankfully, I don't need sleep, so I can keep watch 24/7!

TOUJOU: Neither of you left all night?

KIIBO: Correct! Iruma-san didn't even go to the bathroom before the body discovery announcement!

AMAMI: ...I think you can spare us the details.

KIIBO: Understood!

IRUMA: _(drooling and cackling)_ I can tell you all about it later!

AMAMI: _(waving his handds defensively)_ ...No thanks.

TOUJOU: The discussion got wildly off track, so if everyone is fine with it, I shall disclose what I did last night.

IRUMA: Oooooooh, that sounds juicy, goth tits!

TOUJOU: _(glancing at Iruma)_ I assure you it is not. After delivering the tea and sandwiches to Yonaga-san's room, I went to check on Saihara-kun. Afterwards, I stayed in my room, preparing notes for tomorrow, after which I fell asleep.

IRUMA: Dasaihara's room? Really? I'd say that's fuckin' kinky if it wasn't his pasty ass.

TOUJOU: ...Whatever you are implying, I guarantee I did not do.

MOMOTA: Yeah, I saw her coming out of his room when I came back from the workout. Had some suspicions as well.

AKAMATSU: Wait a second. There's something wrong here. Can you go over what you did and when it happened?

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT

MOMOTA: I don't see what's so weird about that.

AKAMATSU: I don't know, either, but something is off here.

CHABASHIRA: Don't inconvenience Akamatsu-san, you menace! Quit stalling and explain yourself!

MOMOTA: Fine! All that happened was that I was going to the dorms after my workout, and I saw Toujou there!

AKAMATSU: You went there right after your workout?

MOMOTA: Yeah, I didn't go anywhere else in the meantime. What's so weird about that? That's not even related to the murder!

AKAMATSU: It might be! It's impossible that you saw Toujou-san immediately after leaving the gym!

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT:BREAK

OUMA: Ooooooooh, Momota-chan's in trouble!

MOMOTA: _(sweating)_ Shut up! 

AKAMATSU: I don't think you did anything wrong, Momota-kun. It's just that the gym closes at 10PM, and Toujou-san was in Saihara-kun's room about an hour later according to not only her testimony, but yours – to Chabashira-san.

MOMOTA: Ngh!

AKAMATSU: Momota-kun...please, just tell me where you were.

MOMOTA: ...Fine. I guess hiding it won't do me any favours. _(sighs)_ I was playing with the gachapon until I ran out of coins.

CHABASHIRA: Not only is he a liar, but a gambler as well? That sort of attitude only looks good on girls!

MOMOTA: Yeah, it's always been a bit of a bad habit of mine. Good thing we don't have an actual casino here. I didn't even get anything good out of it!

CHABASHIRA: Serves you right!

AKAMATSU: So, you really did see Toujou-san, just after you ran out of coins?

MOMOTA: Pretty much, yeah. Then I immediately went back to sleep, so I don't really have an alibi.

OUMA: I think there's something more pressing we should talk about that you all missed. I can't believe none of you thought about it!

SHIROGANE: And that would be...?

OUMA: Saihara-chan, of course!

SHIROGANE: Excuse me?

IRUMA: Haaaaaa! The twink totally lost it!

AMAMI: I'm curious what he has to say, actually.

HOSHI: I can't believe I'm saying that, but me too. Even if it's a joke, we might get something out of it.

AKAMATSU: Seriously...? I guess...it won't hurt to hear him out.

OUMA: Alright! It almost seems to me like all of you exclude Saihara-chan from the list of suspects... Why is that, did everyone forget about him? I mean, I can't blame you, he never had much of a presence.

AKAMATSU: Did you miss the part where he's been passed out for the past day?

OUMA: I didn't! I remember all of you looking sooooooo concerned. But are we sure he's reaaaaally unconscious?

TOUJOU: We are.

MOMOTA: I carried him. Pretty sure he wasn't pretending.

OUMA: No chance that he was pretending the entire time? You weren't watching him all night, sooooooo...

TOUJOU: That's a good point, I was not. However, there's no chance that he's pretending. I don't think it's possible he got up the instant I left the room. I checked in the morning, as well, and he was still unconscious.

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun...I don't know what you're trying to do, but I know you can't seriously make this point. You're the one person who can't.

OUMA: Oh? And would you tell everyone why that is, Akamatsu-chan?

AKAMATSU: Because you admitted to me that you spent the night outside, looking at the dorms. You would have noticed if Saihara-kun left his room. Corrrect?

OUMA: You really remembered that, Akamatsu-chan! I'm impressed! Anyway, that'd be correct! I totally did do that!

AKAMATSU: And you didn't notice Saihara-kun going outside?

OUMA: Nope, not at all! Though I wouldn't be surprised if I missed him with how wel he blends into the background!

MOMOTA: Wait a second...Ouma was outside all night? Watching the dorms?

OUMA: Yup, I was! With my cloak on, it was super easy to become invisible in the dark hall! Cool, right? _(spinning around to show off the cloak)_

MOMOTA: Why the fuck did you do that? It's like you knew that something was gonna happen! Do you know who did it? Spill the fuckin' beans!

OUMA: You know, you should really learn the magic word, Momota-chan.

AKAMATSU: _(sighs)_ Please, Ouma-kun, tell us what you know.

OUMA: See? It's not hard! Anywaaaaaay...I guess I can say who I saw.

IRUMA: Spill it!

OUMA: Hoshi-chan, Harukawa-chan and Shirogane-chan really stayed inside all night! I saw both Momota-chan and Toujou-chan at the same time and neither of them left again! Shinguuji-chan really was in the library and he also did go to the second floor for a bit. Let's see, what else...

AMAMI: I assume you also saw me.

OUMA: How could I forget Amami-chan! Yup, yup! There was one more person, though...

AKAMATSU: …

OUMA: A person who was supposed to have a bulletproof alibi! They will be reaaaaally unhappy with me if I out them. _(examining his own nails)_

IRUMA: Spill it, you motherfucker! The tension is gonna make me come!

AKAMATSU: …

OUMA: The person I was soooo suspicious of that I lost a whole night of sleep to see if they were gonna pull something! And they did!

AKAMATSU: …

OUMA: Right, Angie-chan?


	14. Chapter 1: Trial 2

YONAGA: …

YUMENO: Nyeh, what? Wasn't Angie with us? I thought you said we all have an alibi, Kaede?

AKAMATSU: …

OUMA: Ding dong, Akamatsu-chan was wrong! Angie-chan definitely went outside! And now cat got her tongue, huh?

YONAGA: Oh? Angie is so confused! _(leaning forward)_ Kokichi, what are you saying? Could you explain to Angie? Because it sounds like you're accusing her of a pretty big sin, but that can't be right.

MOMOTA: I think he's trying to frame you. Hey, maybe you should show us your proof so we can shut him up? We can't just let this bastard say whatever he wants!

YONAGA: _(clasping her hands, with a wide smile)_ Well, Angie was with Kaede, Tenko and Himiko the entire time! Didn't Kokichi listen when Kaede said that we all slept together, and would notice if one of us got up? Hmmm? Angie thinks he should clean out his ears!

MOMOTA: (triumphantly) That's right, I remember she said that!

OUMA: _(nonchalantly)_ Oh, I heard that. But, I get the feeling Akamatsu-chan knows it's bullshit just as well as I do. Right, silent Akamatsu-chan?

AKAMATSU: …

YUMENO: Kaede, are you okay? The conflict between you is messing with my flow, so could you shut him down already? I'm getting a migraine...

AKAMATSU: Alright, let's sort this out, right now.

YONAGA: Angie thought it's already settled, but okay!

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun...is probably telling the truth.

YONAGA: Eh? Heeeeeeh?

YUMENO: I'm so confused...

AKAMATSU: I have something that might prove that Angie-san left the room while we were sleeping. Chabashira-san?

YONAGA: _(eyeing her)_ Angie wonders what that might be? Probably something insignificant?

CHABASHIRA: _(sweating)_ Tenko assumes that Akamatsu-san means that...when we were woken up by the body discovery announcement, Tenko touched Angie-san's bed, and...it didn't seem like it was slept in at all...

YUMENO: Nyeh, really? What even made you check that... I mean, I'm glad you did...

CHABASHIRA: Tenko got...a feeling...

IRUMA: Wait a sec. Bakamatsu, didn't you say you all slept together? And would feel it if one of you left? What is this bullshit, then?

AKAMATSU: Angie-san slept in her own bed. We slept in the futons on the floor next to her.

IRUMA: Soooooo...that was a lie! Y'all freaks didn't have a foursome!

AKAMATSU: …

IRUMA: Did you at least have a threesome? C'mon, Bakamatsu, spill it!

AKAMATSU: …

OUMA: Of course it was a lie. And a pretty clumsy and unnecessary one. Akamatsu-chan knew about that before the trial, because I told her myself, so I'm not sure what made her do this. Don't you know lying is bad, Akamatsu-chan?

AKAMATSU: You're one to talk!

YUMENO: Uuuu...the migraine...

SHIROGANE: No offense, Ouma-kun, but I, um...I understand why Akamatsu-san didn't say it at first... You're not the most trustworthy person here...

TOUJOU: Regardless, that's irrelevant now. We can confirm, between Ouma-kun's and Chabashira-san's testimonies, that Yonaga-san did leave the room while her guests were asleep. Now, the question is, why?

SHIROGANE: T-that's true.

YUMENO: Angie? Will you explain?

YONAGA: …

YONAGA: _(calmly)_ Of course, Angie is going to explain. She can promise that she didn't do anything bad, even though Kokichi suspected her for some reason, which is very rude! The only reason why she didn't tell anyone about it was that she expected everyone would find it suspicious. She didn't expect to be stalked.

SHIROGANE: Well, your plan didn't work... We found it suspicious anyway...

TOUJOU: Please, proceed, Yonaga-san. We will listen to your story.

YONAGA: _(clasping her hands, suddenly seemingly glowing)_ You see, Angie got a message from God.

IRUMA: _(under her breath)_ Of fuckin' course she did.

YONAGA: Angie was trying to sleep, but she felt something unsettling. It was a message from God for sure. It told her that something happened...something that disrupted the harmony in the group. So, Angie decided to go outside and check what it might be. The spirits guided her to the body. With fear in her heart, she returned to her room. That is the whole story.

MOMOTA: ...Really? God helped you find the body?

SHIROGANE: Th-that...that sounds...

YUMENO: _(firmly)_ Hey.

CHABASHIRA: What is it, Yumeno-san?

YUMENO: _(pointing her finger, furrowing her brow)_ I think you guys are doubting Angie. I can't stand for that.

OUMA: Wow! That's the most determination I've ever seen from you, Yumeno-chan!

SHIROGANE: I don't mean to be rude, b-but... It just kind of sounds...

YUMENO: You're trying to say that sounds fake, right? That's what people say to dismiss my magic, too. It's ignorant. You should take it back.

SHIROGANE: I mean, magic is-

AKAMATSU: I wouldn't try that if I were you, Shirogane-san.

YUMENO: It's not impossible that Angie received some sort of a message. I believe her. Why are all of you so quick to dismiss that?

AMAMI: You know what, I agree. Maybe not in the religious sense, but...people often can feel something is wrong, I guess. Premonitions and such. It might just be intuition, but it's still not that unrealistic. It might be god or some sort of sixth sense...I wouldn't know.

YONAGA: God works in mysterious ways!

SHIROGANE: Ah, I get it now! That makes more sense, Amami-kun. I guess...I'm convinced.

YONAGA: Besides, Angie wouldn't have made it there before Rantarou if she tried! Not like that matters, since she is innocent and never wanted to kill anyone!

AKAMATSU: Huh?

YONAGA: Rantarou said that he discovered the body at half past one, right? Did Angie remember that correctly?

AMAMI: About right, yeah. Why?

YONAGA: Well, the other girls didn't fall asleep until after 1am! Angie is pretty sure!

AKAMATSU: That sounds about right...we really stayed up late, now that I think about it.

IRUMA: Ki-

AKAMATSU: Please don't.

YUMENO: So we can agree that Angie is innocent, right? I think Ouma, the heathen, was trying to frame her.

OUMA: Frame her? I never said I think she's guilty, you know?

YUMENO: You heavily implied it!

HARUKAWA: He probably wanted us to think that so he could laugh later. 

OUMA: I just said that Angie-chan was suspicious and her alibi didn't hold up. You are the one putting words in my mouth, Yumeno-chan~

YUMENO: ...

OUMA: Besides, for me to frame her, I would have had to be the one to kill the poor simpleton Gonta...which I didn't, and wouldn't be possible for me to do anyway, so!

MOMOTA: Hold on, how is it impossible? You admitted that you were outside all night, you had every opportunity to kill whoever the hell you wanted! Impossible, my ass!

IRUMA: It's impossible because he's way too fuckin' short and twinky to stab the bugfucker!

AMAMI: ...That's a fair point, actually. Of all people, I doubt he could pull that off. No offense.

OUMA: From you, Amami-chan, none taken. From Iruma-chan, all of it taken, I'll make sure she pays for it when this is over.

TOUJOU: What is your line of defence, then, if not physical limitations?

OUMA: I may have been outside all night, but I stayed on the first floor. Y'know, watching the dorms. I never went up, until, of course, I discovered the body...

AKAMATSU: _(under her breath)_ ...and triggered the body discovery announcement.

OUMA: Thanks to my suspicion of Angie-chan, now we know who the person who discovered it before me is, other than Amami-chan! No need to thank me, I do my best for you all...

AKAMATSU: Monokuma, I have a question.

MONOUMA: Oh, another one? You're really pushing your luck, Akamatsu-san, but let's hear it!

AKAMATSU: How exactly does the body discovery rule work? As in, does the 'three people' rule include the culprit or not?

MONOKUMA: Does it really matter?

AKAMATSU: In this case, it does. I'm pretty sure of that.

MONOKUMA: It depends. There are certain cases where it is going to include the culprit, I guess.

AKAMATSU: But is this a special case?

MONOKUMA: Akamatsu-san, that's my sweet secret for now! You will have to figure it out on your own!

AKAMATSU: That's not fair! You can't keep that information to yourself!

MONOKUMA: Oh, I absolutely can. Believe in me who believes in you being able to solve the case on your own, upupu!

AKAMATSU: …

AMAMI: What's on your mind?

AKAMATSU: ...Ouma-kun?

OUMA: What is it, Akamatsu-chan? Do you want some more crucial information you can ignore for your convenience?

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun, I need you to tell me exactly what I'm asking about. Refresh your memory. This is very important.

OUMA: Oh, oh, that's super exciting! I love when everything depends on me!

AKAMATSU: …

AKAMATSU: In what order did everyone enter and leave the second floor?

HOSHI: Ah, I see what you're doing.

OUMA: Let's see... Shinguuji-chan went there first, stayed for a pretty long time, and then came back to the library. Then, for a while, nobody went out, and I was getting soooo boooooored...but then Amami-chan went out! And then Angie-chan came out! Then Angie-chan came back really quickly, and right after that, Amami-chan came back. After he went into his bedroom, I went up and discovered the body!

SHIROGANE: Doesn't that sound a bit...off?

OUMA: No way! Which part?

SHIROGANE: It's almost like...Amami-kun stayed up there...for some reason.

AKAMATSU: Don't you remember, Shirogane-san? Amami-kun told us that he stayed up there in shock, after discovering the body. That holds up.

SHIROGANE: Oh, that's right.

YONAGA: But Angie didn't see him when she went up there. Where was he hiding?

AMAMI: I went to the boys' room to wash my face. Since I was, you know...

AKAMATSU: Understandable... You must have been shaken.

HOSHI: I see.

SHIROGANE: Ah, actually, I think there's something else we should discuss now. The murder weapon.

AKAMATSU: Oh, that's right. We haven't found the weapon yet... I wonder if anyone knows anything about it. Other than...the culprit...

YUMENO: The file says he was stabbed with something like a knife. Isn't it possible that someone took one from the kitchen?

TOUJOU: It is impossible, because of the nighttime rules. The gym and the cafeteria close at 10PM and don't open until morning.

YUMENO: Right. I definitely knew that.

SHINGUUJI: But, isn't it possible that someone had grabbed it earlier?

TOUJOU: I have gone over this. I stayed in the kitchen until just before it closed. I left it as the nighttime announcement played. Nobody could have stolen any of the knives while I was there, I guarantee that. And I, myself, did not steal one either.

SHINGUUJI: That narrows down the options... Where else could one get a knife, I wonder.

SHIROGANE: In the warehouse, maybe?

IRUMA: I was in the warehouse all night, remember? Nobody could have snuck one out past me and Kiibs, and neither of us fuckin' left either, so don't start with that!

SHIROGANE: I-I wasn't!

TOUJOU: The question remains. Where did the murder weapon come from, and where was it hidden? We cannot proceed if we don't establish that.

OUMA: Maybe Yumeno-chan magicked it up and then poofed it out of existence?

YUMENO: _(pointing at him)_ Silence! I would never do that!

CHABASHIRA: You have the right to remain silent or be flipped onto the floor, menace! Don't you dare say such things about Yumeno-san!

MOMOTA: _(sarcastically)_ Maybe it was a gift from God.

OUMA: _(in a singsongy voice)_ First he giveth then he taketh away!

YONAGA: Your blasphemy count is rising. Angie would stop there if she were you.

OUMA: Oooh, am I gonna get struck by lightning? I've always wanted to go out in such a fitting way!

TOUJOU: I'm beginning to feel like we're not going to get anywhere...

And then, Akamatsu remembered. She did see a knife that was definitely not a kitchen knife. It was also a few hours before the murder, but she was sure, in her heart, that it had to have been the right knife. It didn't make sense with many assumptions she had made up till that point, but the truth was more important than her sleep-deprived logic.

She had to pick the suspicious person...

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun.

SHINGUUJI: _(calmly, yet curiously)_ Yes, Akamatsu-san?

AKAMATSU: I don't mean that as an accusation or anything...but I'm pretty sure I remember seeing a knife in your hand yesterday.

SHIROGANE: Th-that sounds an awful lot like an accusation to me! Clear as day!

MOMOTA: _(hoarsely, glaring)_ Akamatsu, I'm starting to think you're not telling us shit on purpose…

HARUKAWA: Likewise. 

AKAMATSU: _(defensively, sweating)_ That's not the case at all! I promise!

MOMOTA: I'm just calling it like I see it! What is this, the third time? I really can't imagine why you would keep all that information to yourself. _(suspiciously)_ Are you covering for someone? Who?

HOSHI: Hey. Maybe we could listen to her now that she is talking. Blaming her for forgetting something when we're all sleepy and forgetful is not fair, and it's not helping anybody.

TOUJOU: I agree. Continue, Akamatsu-san, please. Pay no mind to...that.

AKAMATSU: Thank you, Hoshi-kun, Toujou-san. As for the knife, I saw it on my way out of the warehouse. You were definitely holding rope and a knife, Shinguuji-kun. I remember that clearly now. I think...I just didn't pay that much attention to it back then.

OUMA: Seems like someone did sneak something out from under your nose, Iruma-chan! How embarrassing!

IRUMA: That's not the case at all, you fuckin' shithead! Shut up!

AKAMATSU: If I recall correctly, Shinguuji-kun was doing Iruma-san a favour by cutting the rope in half, since she needed it for her machine, and he needed it for...personal reasons.

MOMOTA: _(under his breath)_ Fuckin' freak...

HOSHI: Hey. That's unnecessary. There's no need for name calling

AKAMATSU: I think we should focus on other things than judging Shinguuji-kun and his rope... Iruma-san, do you confirm the deal with the rope?

IRUMA: _(blushing)_ Huh, yeah... He gave me my part for the shibari machine... I have no goddamn clue what he did with his half. Or the fuckin' knife, which I didn't even notice. Now that I think about it, w-what if he pulled it on me?! Guess w-we dodged a bullet, huh?

SHINGUUJI: …

AKAMATSU: Why are you so quiet, Shinguuji-kun? You haven't said anything about the knife yet.

MOMOTA: It's the guilt! He has nothing to say because he knows he's fuckin' guilty and we're all gonna vote for him! Can we vote already? There's no way it's not this freak!

IRUMA: It's the kinkshaming! You shamed him into silence by callin' him a freak!

AKAMATSU: …

SHINGUUJI: It's neither. I just realised who the murderer is, after thinking about it for the past few minutes.

MOMOTA: Well, duh. It's you. I have no fuckin' clue why it took you this long to figure that one out.

SHINGUUJI: You're mistaken. And I wish I were mistaken, too, but unfortunately, I believe my assumption is the truth.

MOMOTA: Stop fuckin' lyin! I always knew you're shady, with that look of yours...and you had the perfect opportunity! You were the last person who saw him alive, weren't you? According to your own fuckin' words! That's so transparent! You fuckin' killed him right then! You stabbd him and then pretended that you didn't! You just decided to be cryptic about it like some-

HOSHI: _(sighing)_ Alright, I've had enough. Momota, sit down. Suspicion is one thing, and I understand that, but you're acting like a child.

MOMOTA: What's so fuckin' childish about this? And who are you to talk, lookin' like a toddler yourself! Get back to me when your balls drop!

HOSHI: …

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun, please explain this to me. Your testimony is the last missing piece of the puzzle. Ignore Momota-kun, we're...none of us are listening to him, I promise.

MOMOTA: Ngh!

OUMA: Ha, burn!

SHINGUUJII: You see, I also think that the knife I had with me back then is the murder weapon. There's little doubt about it in my mind. I'm grateful that you brought it up...

MOMOTA: So you ARE guilty!

SHINGUUJI: The knife is not mine, though. I borrowed it for the sake of cutting the rope. I returned it right afterwards. You don't have to believe it, of course, but...it should be easy to prove.

MOMOTA: Do you think we're gonna believe that, for real?

AKAMATSU: Who is the original owner of the knife?

She knew that there was only one answer that fit the puzzle. It almost fit too well, if her hunch was correct, the case would manifest clearly in her head in its entirety. And, by god, she desperately didn't want it to. She felt her insides ache with uncertainty, and braced herself for disappointment.

SHINGUUJI: Amami-kun.

AMAMI: …

AKAMATSU: Just as I thought...

MOMOTA: I swear to fuckin' god if there's something else you refused to tell us...

TOUJOU: Excuse me, but, does that mean...

YUMENO: Amami is the murderer?!

CHABASHIRA: That's so hard to believe...but he is a man, so, Tenko can't say she's surprised.

AMAMI: …

SHIROGANE: Amami...kun? _(hugging herself, muttering under her breath)_ I guess his manicure skills simply can't help him now...

YUMENO: I'm so confused again...wasn't he friends with Gonta? Why would he kill him?

OUMA: Sometimes, it's easier to kill people who are closest to you! They end up getting in your way, y'know? And a bonus, they trust you unconditionally...it's almost so easy that it barely counts!

AMAMI: …

YUMENO: I don't get it! Why isn't he saying anything! I want out of here!

CHABASHIRA: Yumeno-san...I understand your feelings...

YUMENO: You don't! Why were we dragged out here in the midddle of the night? Can I blame Ouma?

SHIROGANE: Well...he did trigger the announcement.

AKAMATSU: Speaking of the announcement...if we count the culprit into the first three people who saw the body, Amami-kun fits right in. That's why Monokuma didn't want to tell me which case this is.

AMAMI: …

AKAMATSU: But now, I want to hear from Amami-kun before we make the final judgement and start the vote.

MOMOTA: Are you fuckin' serious?

AKAMATSU: Amami-kun...where's the knife? You have it with you, don't you?

AMAMI: I guess...this explains a lot, doesn't it? _(taking a knife out of his pocket with a mysterious smile)_ Yeah, that explains everything…

CHABASHIRA: Th-there's blood on that knife! Eek! 

YUMENO: Are you gonna kill us all now, you deranged maniac?! 

SHIROGANE: P-please don't… 

OUMA: Aw, that actually sounds like fun. 

AMAMI: Hey, you knew way before I pulled this out, didn't you? Akamatsu. I could see that look on your face… 

AKAMATSU: There's…something you said, that would be innocent if I didn't know what I know. I wish I didn't know. 

HOSHI: You noticed too, huh? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. I didn't say anything, because…it didn't hold up with another thing I knew. 

MOMOTA: What the fuck are you two talking about? 

IRUMA: Stop keeping secrets you motherfuckers! 

AMAMI: Even I don't know what they're talking about. That's the truth. 

IRUMA: For real? You don't even know how you committed your own crime? Ugh, so hot yet so fuckin’ stupid. 

AMAMI: Haha, I guess… 

TOUJOU: May I ask what it is that we missed? 

AKAMATSU: Hoshi-kun found something in the bathroom. 

HOSHI: A bloodstain in the boys’ room. Almost impossible to see if you aren't looking carefully. 

AMAMI: No wonder I missed that, then… 

AKAMATSU: By admitting you went to the bathroom…you admitted you left the bloodstain. It probably dripped off your knife or something. 

HOSHI: That sounds likely. 

AMAMI: _(sniffling)_ Man…that's so sloppy. 

IRUMA: It really fuckin is! Were you in a rush or somethin’? 

YUMENO: I'm still…so confused… 

AKAMATSU: Before we vote, maybe we should go over the entire murder from the start? I can do that. 

AMAMI: You're the one who figured me out, so…

YUMENO: Why are you so calm? Do you know what we're accusing you of? 

AMAMI: Yeah, I know. Do I really deserve to waste your time with a mental breakdown? 

YUMENO: Absolutely not! 

MOMOTA: No fuckin’ way! 

OUMA: Akamatsu-chan, take it away! 

AKAMATSU: Before we get to the murder itself,we have to set the scene. Earlier in the day, the culprit and the victim, Gokuhara Gonta-kun, arranged a meeting in the middle of the night so they wouldn't be disturbed. Later, Gonta-kun sat there by himself, waiting for the culprit to arrive. 

AKAMATSU: Toujou-san and Angie-san helped organise the sleepover I, Chabashira-san, and Yumeno-san participated in. Toujou-san simply delivered the food and tea to Angie-san’s room and then left, while we began our feast. 

AKAMATSU: While we were hanging out and eating, Shinguuji-kun was reading in the library. Sometime between 11:30 and midnight, he left the library (unbeknownst to him, he was watched by Ouma-kun who was lurking in the shadows) and went onto the second floor - he wanted to discuss something in his research. He noted that Gonta-kun seemed nervous about the meeting he arranged with the culprit - who, at that time, was stuck in his room, waiting for his cue. We, at the sleepover, were probably playing cards by then. 

AKAMATSU: Shortly after midnight, Shinguuji-kun returned to the library and continued reading. Meanwhile, the culprit was getting ready to leave their room. They probably felt conflicted about their plan, but eventually decided to go through with it. They left their room and made their way onto the second floor, while Ouma-kun’s eyes followed them in the dark. Then, they greeted Gonta-kun, who had bern waiting for them to show up. He didn't know that they had a knife hidden in their back pocket. 

AKAMATSU: And then…they struck. Right into Gonta-kun’s heart! They stabbed precisely and killed him immediately. Then, as they stood over his body, having taken the knife out of the wound, they presumably noticed there was some blood on their hands or something, and decided to wash it off before going downstairs. Unfortunately for them, they didn't notice that they spilled some blood onto the floor, which later became an important clue. While they washed their hands and face, Angie-san, having made sure all of us were asleep, left her bedroom. 

AKAMATSU: Then, she made her way down the hall. Apparently, her intuition, or God, guided her towards the body. Once again, she was seen by Ouma-kun, who had been suspicious of her from the start. She found Gonta-kun’s dead body, and probably gasped or screamed in surprise, alerting the culprit to her presence. She then quickly returned to her room, and the culprit came after her. Ouma-kun, seeing that they both were gone, went up onto the second floor to check what happened. That triggered the body discovery announcement, which surprised the culprit and Angie-san, who probably expected the body to not be found until morning. 

AKAMATSU: And the culprit responsible for that heinous crime, a murder of a helpless person, is you, Amami Rantarou-kun! 

AKAMATSU: Did I get that right? 

HOSHI: It sounds kind of dramatic in places, but it holds up. 

AMAMI: It's…more or less right. 

AKAMATSU: Only more or less? 

HARUKAWA: Akamatsu, don't you see something really off here? 

AKAMATSU: Harukawa-san…? I don't think the events could have happened in any other sequence… 

HARUKAWA: Oh, I think you got the sequence more or less right. You just missed the meaning that they hold. 

AKAMATSU: What is it then? 

HARUKAWA: I have to hold your hand through this? Fine, I guess. I'll just go over everything that is weird here, but you have to come to the conclusion yourself. 

AKAMATSU:...

HARUKAWA: Don't you think it's weird that Gokuhara is the one who suggested the meeting? According to Amami at least, but I believe that. Moreover…you assumed that Amami planned this entire murder and carried it out immediately, but, honestly…I think even he is smarter than this. He not only went upstairs without paying attention to his surroundings, but told us that he did, even though it would be more reasonable to not tell anybody, like Yonaga did. She wouldn't have gotten caught if Ouma wasn't a persistent little creep. And the bathroom thing…even without your bloodstain revelation, that was suspicious. But he made no effort to hide that. What do you make of that? 

AKAMATSU: Huh…I didn't…I didn't think of that… 

HARUKAWA: I know. I'm telling you now. Also, that doesn't mean I think he isn't a murderer. I know he is. I just want you to think. 

YUMENO: Could we vote first and think later, then? I want this to be over already… 

MONOKUMA: Did I hear voting? It's voting time!

AKAMATSU: Wait! 

MONOKUMA: The bear waits for nobody! 

VOTING TIME  
AMAMI RANTAROU HAS BEEN VOTED GUILTY! 

MONOKUMA: Wow, bravo, you got it right! 

SHIROGANE: So…so he really killed… 

YUMENO: I can't believe it…

MOMOTA: I'm not surprised…the only surprise here is that he pulled it off… 

AKAMATSU: Amami-kun… 

HARUKAWA: Are you going to address what I said? 

AKAMATSU: Harukawa-san…I think you're suggesting this murder…wasn't planned. 

AMAMI: That would be right… 

AKAMATSU: And maybe, I'm just guessing but it seems impossible…was Gonta-kun planning something? 

YUMENO: What? Now you're trying to pin the blame on the victim?

SHIROGANE: Gonta-kun wouldn't hurt a fly! In fact, he would probably treat it with as much respect as he would a woman! 

OUMA: Now that's a mental image! 

IRUMA: But would he fu-

OUMA: That's somehow a worse mental image! 

AMAMI: I think you guys are missing something… 

YUMENO: Silence, murderer! 

SHIROGANE: That's right, nobody wants to hear it! 

HARUKAWA: Let's listen to him. He's going to be executed soon anyway. 

AMAMI: Thanks for the reminder… You're right. He wouldn't hurt a fly. But there's something you're not taking into account… Kiibo, I'm about to make a comparison you may not like. 

KIIBO: I will not take offence to it as long as it does not misrepresent me or robotkind! 

AMAMI: Akamatsu…remember the Three Laws of Robotics? How robots can't harm humans because their AI prevents that? 

AKAMATSU: I remember… 

AMAMI: But what if a robot gets an order to harm a human being…to defend another human being? They have to protect people, right? So, it would be justified? 

KIIBO: Actually… 

AMAMI: Gonta...is like that. He wouldn't ever harm anybody…unless someone very convincingly told them that a certain person is a threat to another person…or something of that sort. 

AKAMATSU: Oh, no…did someone… 

SHIROGANE: Someone…told Gonta-kun that Amami-kun is dangerous? 

CHABASHIRA: Huh? Who would believe that! Tenko can tell you that Amami-san has no combat power whatsoever! 

YUMENO: Despite being so scrawny-looking, he pulled off a murder… 

AMAMI: I'm not sure what to say to any of that… 

HARUKAWA: I can buy that. Gokuhara never seemed too bright…with a weird sense of justice to make up for it. He wanted to be a gentleman or something, no? Amami, let me guess, was the reason he wanted to attack you…a woman? 

MOMOTA: Oh my fuckin’ god. Of course it would be. 

IRUMA: Was it me? Was he defending my honour? Ahhhh, that's so…pointless, I have none! Gyahaha! 

AMAMI: No…I mean, I think he'd believe it more easily if it was a woman telling him lies. But I have no idea who it really was. He never told me. 

MOMOTA: Can all of you stop being fucking cryptic and just say what you mean? 

AMAMI: Alright. Gonta said that someone told him a ton of stuff about me…that I'm a traitor, that I almost attacked someone, and that I hate bugs, which was apparently important for some reason? I couldn't make all of it out. He was absolutely furious…his face changed. Then… 

AKAMATSU: Yeah? 

AMAMI: Then…he tried to strangle me. He almost grabbed me, but I took out the knife I always carry in my pocket, and I… 

HARUKAWA: And you stabbed. 

AMAMI: Apparently, but I have to be honest...I don't remember any of it. Everything between me almost being strangled and me waking up in the bathroom is a blur. 

IRUMA: Sounds like ya got blackout drunk on blood! See guys, I told y'all he did the stabbing because tree trunk dick confessed something! I said that two fuckin hours ago it feels like! 

SHIROGANE: Is...is that the confession you had in mind? 

IRUMA: Nope, but I work with what I can get! 

AKAMATSU: So…you don't actually remember committing the murder? 

AMAMI: No. But I know nobody else could have done it. I went into the trial thinking that maybe it wasn't me…but I realised there's no chance. 

HARUKAWA: So that's why you were so awful at defending yourself? You just assumed it has nothing to do with you? 

MOMOTA: Harumaki, how come you figured it all out? I never noticed these implications. 

HARUKAWA: First of all, don't ever call me that again. Second of all, you're just a moron who expects explanations on a  platter, so you know who to yell at from your podium. You'd benefit greatly from using your brain more. 

MOMOTA:... 

MONOKUMA: Are you done talking about nothing? I'm a very patient bear, but I can't wait to test something out on Amami-kun the criminal! 

AMAMI: One second! Akamatsu, do you mind if I…give you something? 

AKAMATSU: No. I don't mind. If it…eases your mind or something… 

AMAMI: _(coming towards Akamatsu, leaning towards her, handing her the knife; whispers)_ I don't trust anyone else as much as you. I know you trusted me and I didn't really deliver…but this is for your sake. I left some notes in my room that might point you towards solving the mysteries of this place. Maybe. I'm not sure if you knew that you can enter a dead person's room freely…just ask Monokuma after you leave. I did that for Gonta, maybe it'll work for me. Will you try? 

AKAMATSU: _(whispering back)_ I will. Thank y-

MONOKUMA: Time’s up, bastards! Amami, you won't escape! 

AKAMATSU: I still don't understand why you're so calm! 

AMAMI: _(walking away, turning towards the group with a smile and misty eyes)_ That's the way I always am, isn't it? Calming everyone around me. 

EXECUTION TIME  
AMAMI RANTAROU HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY  
EXECUTION: DON'T DRIVE OUTSIDE THE LINES!

Amami is strapped into a car, unable to leave. His face is pale, but he's trying to smile. The car starts moving on its own, in a circle. The circle widens. There are Monokuma snipers all around the place, looking at a white circular border. They ready their weapons. Amami appears to experience motion sickness as the car swerves closer to the border. The instant it touches the white circle, all the Monokumas shoot at him simultaneously, the bullets penetrating his body. It pans over behind the Monokumas, revealing that Amami's classmates had been watching the entire time through a glass wall.

EXECUTION: SUCCESS!

Akamatsu looked through the wall in silence. She felt her legs and hands shaking. Her face welled up with tears, but she fought them back. She turned towards Monokuma while screams of terror echoed around her, coming mostly from the girls.

'You killed him!' she cried out, banging her fist against the wall.

'He knew what he did, and the consequences,' Monokuma pointed out. 'I didn't kill anyone, I just delivered justice, you know?'

'But!' Akamatsu stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Is this not eerily similar to the conversation she had not that long before?

'It doesn't matter if it was an accident, or self-defence, it doesn't matter at all! Murder is murder, justice is justice!' Monokuma continued.

Akamatsu scoffed and looked at the group. One of them was the traitor who manipulated Gonta into attempting to murder Amami. A traitor...or the mastermind. She couldn't tell at this point.

But she swore to find out.

14 PLAYERS REMAINING

CHAPTER END: ROUND THE HARMONY TREE.

RECEIVED GIFT: Amami's knife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you surprised, dear audience? I sure hope so!
> 
> Did you know Amami canonically hates cars?
> 
> Climax Inference comic link s:  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548971910021644298/ch1comic1.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548971912102150171/ch1comic2.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548971913913827367/ch1comic3.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548971916044533770/ch1comic4.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548971917277921321/ch1comic5.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548971919756754964/ch1comic6.png  
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/548972629659353129/ch1comic7.png


	15. Chapter 2: Daily Life 1

The elevator ride back up was certainly awkward.

Akamatsu did her best to keep it together despite her shaking legs. She decided she wasn't going to cry, no matter what, despite all the emotions fighting for dominance inside her.

Some people were crying, most simply stayed quiet, looking at the walls or their own feet. When Akamatsu glanced at Ouma, she noticed a hint of a smirk. Was he...happy about this? Assuming what he said about his talent was true, he might have been used to the sight of dead bodies...perhaps he'd even executed someone himself? She felt colour draining from her face as she desperately looked away.

She found herself staring at Harukawa, who was leaning against the wall, off to the side. Akamatsu couldn't get her mind off the points the quiet woman made by the end of the trial. It was quite unusual to see someone provide such calm and collected analysis while in the middle of a trial for murder. Akamatsu was impressed and bewildered at the same time.

'Hey,' she said softly, taking a step towards Harukawa, who shuddered instinctively.

'What do you want?' she asked, narrowing her eyes at Akamatsu.

'I just wanted to say that I think you're amazing.'

Harukawa's eyes widened. She turned away in silence, biting her lips. 'I'm not,' she whispered at last. 'I just happened to notice some things, is all. You could have done the same.'

'Maybe. But I didn't, and you did,' Akamatsu pointed out.

'That's not so much a positive reflection of me, as it is a negative one of you,' Harukawa retorted immediately.

Akamatsu was rendered speechless until the elevator door finally opened, greeting the group with a ray of light.

'Nyeh,' Yumeno whined, rubbing her eyes. 'What time even is it?'

'We spent quite a long time underground,' Toujou pointed out, 'I'd assume it's a while past our usual breakfast time, but perhaps I should prepare it regardless?'

'I was planning to go back to bed,' Yumeno mused, 'but I suppose I might as well have a meal before I do that.'

'I think we could all use that,' Akamatsu pointed out, faking a confident smile, 'considering everything that happened.'

'Angie agrees! Breakfast together sounds absolutely divine!'

Harukawa, who was standing off to the side, clearly hesitated. Akamatsu looked her in the eyes, hoping to encourage her. Harukawa pursed her lips and clenched her fists, but she didn't leave the group, seemingly in spite of herself.

***

For the first time since the killing game started, all surviving participants gathered for breakfast. Considering th circumstances, especially the various accusations thrown arouund the courtroom, that setting was far from ideal. Despite Akamatsu's concerns, however, it proceeded in a relatively peaceful manner. That is, until...

'Hey, guys! Do you buy Amami-chan's story?'

There was no such thing as an innocent question coming from Ouma Kokichi. Multiple people were immediately on their guard.

'Can't you at least wait until we're all done eating?' Yumeno complained, her mouth full.

'You know what? I hate to say it, but we should probably discuss that,' Momota remarked, glaring at Ouma as he did.

'Do you have any, um, suspicions, Ouma-kun?' Shirogane asked, glancing at him with a degree of hesitant curiosity.

'Maybe, I dunno. I'm the one asking you guys,' Ouma reminded, playing with his food. It was clear that he wasn't going to say anything of value, even if he knew it.

'I suppose it's difficult to imagine that Gokuhara-kun would attack him,' Toujou admitted, setting a plate in front of Harukawa, whose eyes widened nooticeably. Akamatsu watched her reaction curiously, trying to ignore Ouma, which was a difficult task, considering he was sitting immediately  
to her right.

'I suppose that could be explained if we assume someone manipulated him into it,' Shinguuji pointed out, 'as Amami-kun suggested.'

'Ah, the mysterious woman he suggested exists,' Shirogane remembered, barely hiding her sarcasm. 'I wonder what someone would have to tell Gonta-kun to make him try to strangle someone. He plainly didn't seem violent, I mean.'

'Neither did Amami-kun, no?' Shinguuji pointed out.

'I never trusted that guy,' Momota protested, shaking his head. 'There was something off about him. Did you see how fuckin' calm he was before the execution? That's not normal!'

'He did start crying right before the execution, though...' Akamatsu reminded weakly. His last sad smile would forever be burned into her brain, haunting her with its ambiguity.

'No, but...' Shirogane pondered, 'there is something weird about that, isn't there?'

'I tell you, he probably faked his fuckin' execution!' Momota raised his voice, banging his fist on the table.

'Oooooooh!' Ouma looked up from his plate. 'Does Momota-chan think Amami-chan is the game master or something? That's bold.'

'It also doesn't make much sense,' Hoshi muttered under his breath, 'considering that we watched him die.'

'Maybe he has a body double! It was far away!' Momota insisted, glaring at Hoshi.

'I doubt that,' Hoshi said with a shrug. 'I'll give you that the murder itself is suspicious, but the execution is pretty clear to me.'

'It's kind of a shame that we never found out what his talent is,' Yumeno mused sleepily. 'Suppose it'll remain a mystery forever.'

'Maybe if we were told about it instead of Gonta, everyone would know,' Ouma remarked.

'You think that's what the mystery someone told Gonta-kun?' Akamatsu turned towards him curiously.

'I dunno. They probably lied to him about whatever they said, anyway, though. That's what I would do, you know.'

'Yeah, I'd buy that,' Akamatsu confirmed with a sigh. 'But I'm pretty sure you weren't the one to do that.'

'Oh?' Ouma's eyebrows shot up his forehead. 'Whatever did I do to seem innocent? Let me know so I can fix it.'

'It's just a feeling,' Akamatsu deflected.

'Angie thinks Kokichi is pretty suspicious,' she said innocently, leaning towards him from behind Akamatsu, 'since he has that huge evil organisation, doesn't he?'

'I knew I can count on you, Angie-chan!' Ouma exclaimed cheerfully.

'Whoever it was, it's one of us,' Tenko said weakly, her shoulders drooping. 'Does that mean one of us is the mastermind, or was someone playing a cruel prank?'

'What the fuck does it matter?' Iruma asked nonchalantly. 'He's dead. They're both dead. Which is a fuckin' shame, because I'll miss his sexy voice. He can be the mastermind or a traitor or who-the-fuck-ever all he wants, 'cause he's dead as nails!'

'I guess that's one way to look at it,' Hoshi remarked as Ouma giggled next to him.

'Whoever is running this game is definitely still alive, though,' Shinguuiji pointed out, 'considering that the game is still running.'

'W-we'll find that dirty rat eventually!' Shirogane muttered, hugging herself.

'That's the spirit!' Tenko agreed, pumping her fist.

The breakfast clearly wasn't meant to go uninterrupted, and the overseeing entity reminded the participants of its everpresence in the usual way.

'ALL STUDENTS MUST GATHER AT THE GYM IMMEDIATELY FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. UPUPU!'

A collective sigh filled the cafeteria.

***

The students gathered in the gym. Yumeno was carried by Angie, piggyback style, since she was, according to her own words, too sleepy to walk. Akamatsu felt sorry for her, even though she got exactly as little sleep. She realised, in that moment, that Angie herself probably didn't get any sleep, yet she had triple the energy of the other girls who participated in the sleepover. Presumably, she was going to crash once she gets to return to her room. 

Akamatsu looked forward with a sigh. She hoped that she would get to sleep soon, but seeing as Monokuma had an announcement for them, that possibility was beginning to feel slimmer and slimmer.

‘How are ya doing, you bastards?’ Monokuma’s voice greeted them, as he appeared out of nowhere like usual. ‘Congrats on solving your first murder! Could you commit murder at a more reasonable hour next time, though? A bear needs his beauty sleep too!’

‘There aren't gonna be any more murders!’ Akamatsu exclaimed in his direction. Monokuma’s laughter echoed in the gym. 

‘Akamatsu-san, you still believe that? You sure are stubborn! Your BFF can commit murder and you will still act like nothing happened! How many people have to die in order to break your spirit?’

Akamatsu bit her lip so hard it bled and clenched her fists. It was getting harder to hold her tears back. 

‘Is this the only reason why you gathered us here?’ Toujou asked calmly. 

‘Of course not! Although, you know, I won't pass up any opportunity to remind you all that optimism won't help you. Although,’ the bear grinned cruelly, ‘I overheard that you guys were discussing Amami-kun’s credibility back there. Good, good. He sure was a suspicious guy, wasn't he?’

‘Right,’ Akamatsu perked up, ‘you never even gave him his memories back. And you promised to do that. Isn't that unfair?’ she pointed out, sticking out her jaw. 

‘Actually,’ Kiibo chimed in, ‘according to my records, Monokuma promised that the winner of the trial would be the one to gain that knowledge.’

‘Which means we rightfully deserve it,’ Harukawa concluded, narrowing her eyes at Monokuma. 

‘Oh man,’ Monokuma looked down at his feet nervously, ‘I hoped you guys wouldn't remember that. That the trial would distract you and all.’

‘Perhaps it would, if the culprit wasn't the person who was unquestionably tied to the motive,’ Toujou pointed out. 

‘Does that mean you lied about that?’ Harukawa’s glare could easily be the next murder weapon. 

‘No, no. A bear never lies. It's just not ready yet. I hoped I would surprise you bastards tomorrow by giving you what I promised. Oh well! You still have to wait until tomorrow! It's gonna be worth it, I promise!’

‘So that's not why we were gathered here, either,’ Tenko said with a sigh. ‘Could we please find out what it is that you wanted so Yumeno-san can rest?’ she looked over at the mage nervously. She was definitely dozing off, not paying attention to what Monokuma was saying. 

‘I'm pretty sure she won't wanna sleep anymore when she finds out what kinda treat I have prepared for you guys!’

Overwhelming silence was the only response. 

‘Wow, you guys are no fun! What I have prepared for you is that you now have access to some new areas! Go out and explore! And hopefully commit some new, creative murders! Don't let me down!’

Akamatsu’s mind immediately went to the staircases that were locked off. Maybe now…

Before she could say anything, Monokuma had disappeared, as per usual. 

***

‘I guess now we know what it takes to unlock the doors,’ Hoshi mused, playing with a candy cigarette. 

‘Tenko would have preferred not to know that.’

‘Should we split up or something?’ Momota asked. 

‘Nope! I'm going first!’ Ouma informed before running out of the gym. Nobody was fast enough to stop him. 

‘I don't care about any new areas,’ Yumeno mumbled sleepily. ‘Angie, can you take me to my room?’

‘Angie thinks that we should make sure everybody gets good night's sleep. Maybe we could have our own nighttime rule?’

‘Nighttime rule? Such as?’ Toujou asked. 

‘Hmmm…maybe, nobody can leave the dorms during nighttime? That would work, Angie thinks!’

‘Aw hell no! You're not gettin’ in the way of my night shifts, lunatic!’ Iruma growled, pointing her finger at Angie. ‘I'm not up in your business so stay the fuck outta mine!’

‘I agree that such a rule would be inconvenient for those of us with irregular sleep schedules,’ Shinguuji mused, ‘such as myself and Iruma-san. However, if it's for the sake of safety, perhaps it's worth giving a try.’

‘I don't mind either way,’ Hoshi said, deep in thought, ‘but we've been doing a lot of walking around at night lately, as a group. If not for that, maybe some of us would still be alive.’

‘Ah, that's a really fair point,’ Shirogane agreed, hugging herself. Her face was rather pale. 

‘So you want me to just fuckin’ waste my time sleeping in my dorm?’ Iruma asked, more hesitantly this time. 

‘Would you prefer to die?’ Harukawa asked, looking at her with disdain. 

‘I-is that a threat?’ Iruma stuttered, nearly tripping over her own feet. ‘F-fine…I'll just waste my time instead of using my golden brains…’

‘Great,can I go to sleep now?’ Yumeno whined from Angie's back. 

CHAPTER 2: Tangled Up In Death

Akamatsu decided to explore the school on her own. She wondered if another floor opened, or if it was just rooms on the floors they already had access to.

The first newly opened room she noticed was the Biology Lab, located down the hall from the cafeteria. 

It was a rather big room, with multiple desks and chairs, but they were not what caught her attention. 

‘Ah- AAAAAAAAAAAA!!’

Shinguuji, who was also in the room, flinched and walked over to her, fascinated more so than concerned. 

‘What happened?’ he asked softly, looking at her pale face. 

‘Sk-sk…’

‘Ah, the skeleton,’ he said, nodding. ‘I understand. It's not real, though.’

Akamatsu took a better look at the skeleton, displayed in the back of the room, propped up on a platform. It looked realistic, but was undeniably fake. And even if it wasn't, it was hardly terrifying or threatening. 

‘Sorry, it was silly of me to get scared…’ she said weakly. Her heart had almost leapt out of her chest. 

‘Akamatsu-san. We have just witnessed two deaths in a short amount of time. It's not embarrassing in the slightest to be scared of a skeleton,’ he comforted her in his soothing, nasally voice. ‘Isn't it interesting that we find skeletons scary, even though they are inside all of us, and inherently not threatening?’

‘I guess it's just that we associate them with death,’ she mused. She wasn't scared in the slightest anymore. ‘But, I guess not all people are scared of that.’

‘Indeed, feelings on death, and by extension on skeletons, vary from culture to culture. I've always found that interesting, but I'm not going to bore you with the details right now.’

‘Oh, I don't find that boring at all. I'd love to find out more when I'm not this sleepy.’ She paused, realising that she made a very similar promise to Gonta, about how she'd listen to him talk about bugs. She never did, and now she never will. She shook the unpleasant feeling off. ‘Anyway, there's a lot of other stuff here, huh?’

‘Yes. I found a lot of books about procreation on the shelves in the back. I reckon we shouldn't let Iruma-san find them,’ he remarked, and Akamatsu could have sworn he smirked under the mask. 

‘Oh, and over on that shelf...is that…’ she gulped. 

She had seen dead animals before, mostly birds. She always felt sorry for them. However, she wasn't ready to see the glass box containing a frog with its stomach sliced open. She looked away immediately. 

‘Akamatsu-san, I think you should leave exploring this classroom for later,’ Shinguuji suggested. 

Akamatsu nodded and walked away slowly. 

***

One room on the first floor remained locked, as did the staircase leading down. She had no choice but to go upstairs. 

The first thing that she noticed was that the body had been taken away. There was nothing left of it, not even any bloodstains. It was almost as if it was never there to begin with. 

‘You expected it to still be here too, huh?’ Ouma spoke from behind her, causing her to shudder. 

‘That's what you rushed off to check? Haven't you had enough of looking at Gonta-kun’s body?’ she asked, distraught. 

‘Kind of,’ he explained, balancing on his heels, ‘I mostly just wanted to check if someone took care of it. Y’know. Since all of us were at the trial, so nobody in the group could have done that. Also, wonder where the body went.’

Akamatsu looked at his smiling face without a word. It was almost unnerving how lively and sharp he was despite getting no sleep whatsoever. It was starting to get on her nerves a little. 

‘Anywaaaay, I gotta go! Don't tell Toujou-chan that you saw me!’ He put his finger up to his lips before running down the stairs, leaving her even more puzzled. 

The next room that she noticed was open now turned out to be the Chem Lab, where she saw Iruma and Toujou. 

‘Bakamatsu, check this out!’ Iruma exclaimed as soon as she saw her.

‘What's up?’ Akamatsu asked cautiously, walking over. 

‘Iruma-san found the chemicals,’ Toujou informed, watching the inventor carefully. 

‘Oh,’ Akamatsu said, immediately aware of the danger. ‘Iruma-san, please be careful…’

‘Bakamatsu, who the fuck do you think I am? I work with dangerous shit every day! No way am I gonna do anything dumb. Chill your tits, both of you.’

‘I'd be nervous no matter who it was!’ Akamatsu cried out, watching as Iruma grabbed some bottles. 

‘Look, you really need to chill. I'm putting them back, jeez. Fuckin’ babies,’ Iruma scoffed and folded her arms. 

‘We should definitely restrict access to this room somehow,’ Akamatsu remarked. 

‘Akamatsu-san, have you seen Ouma-kun?’ Toujou asked suddenly, less concerned about Iruma now. 

‘Oh, uh…maybe? I wasn't paying attention…’

‘I see. He asked me to count to 1000 and look for him. I have just reached that number, so I should probably start my quest.’

‘You tryin’ to cheat? Nice!’ Iruma grinned. ‘I'll help you find the little fucker. I'll sniff him out anywhere. He stinks like a wet rat. ’

Akamatsu watched as the two left the lab. It had desks, just like the other one, and even more shelves, stacked to the brim with chemistry textbooks and many oddly-shaped containers. The cabinet Iruma had examined was filled with various chemicals that Akamatsu decided not to touch, preferably ever. 

Science was never her strong suit. At school, her achievements were not really related to studying in general, although she could appreciate the beauty of literature - it was, after all, often connected with music, her one field of expertise. Her ignorance of everything science-related made her steer clear of it - just in case. 

She left the room quickly and walked further down the hall. There, she found what would become the one comforting sight in the entire school. 

The Music Room. 

She quickly opened the door and audibly gasped, covering her mouth. The tears she'd been holding back almost burst out at the sight, proudly standing in the middle of the room.

A piano.

Nearly identical to the one she left at home. 

She ran over towards it and gently touched the keys, just to make sure it's real. The familiar sensation sent chills through her body. She missed it so dearly.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as her fingers slid over the keys, not making a sound - she wasn't ready to play yet. 

‘I guess you got what you wanted, Akamatsu.’

She turned around, embarrassed. 

‘Ah, Hoshi-kun! I didn't notice you…’

‘Sorry for scaring you. I'm just happy for you. It's no wonder you didn't notice us,’ he said with a smirk, ‘you only have eyes for the piano.’

‘Us…?’ she muttered before noticing the other figure. ‘Oh, hi, Kiibo-kun!’

Hoshi walked towards the piano, examining it closely. ‘I don't know anything about pianos, but it seems solid. Pretty convenient that we have access to this room. Even if it took…’ he paused and sighed. 

‘Yeah…’ Akamatsu looked away from the piano and at Kiibo. ‘Hey, Kiibo-kun, are you interested in music?’

‘Using such phrasing might be inaccurate in my case,’ Kiibo explained, ‘but I wish I could understand how music affects people. I've never actually heard it, and I'm not sure if I would have a reaction to it. If you wish, Akamatsu-san, we could check that.’

‘You want me to play a song right now?’ Akamatsu asked, mildly flustered. 

‘I'd like to listen too, if you don't mind. There's something…normal about music. It's been so quiet here. Just like in jail,’ Hoshi remarked, encouraging her with a nod. 

Akamatsu obliged. She was too nervous to play anything more complicated. She simply let her fingers touch the keys, recreating the melody she heard in her head, one that, she hoped, would bring hope and optimism into people's hearts. It was rather short and simple, but it captured the message she wanted to send herself. 

When she was done, she looked at her classmates. Hoshi was standing with his eyes closed, playing with a candy cigarette. Kiibo seemed to be entirely focused. 

‘How was it?’ she asked, flustered. 

‘I now understand why they gave you your title,’ Hoshi admitted, nodding with appreciation. ‘I'm not really an emotional person. Not the type to cry at movies or anything. But…I felt that.’

‘It's difficult to describe my impression, Akamatsu-san,’ Kiibo said slowly, as if he was still processing information, ‘but I can tell that you are very skilled. I think I have a better understanding now.’

Akamatsu smiled brightly. She thought that her skills might be getting rusty from not having practiced enough in the past days - but hearing that she could make a robot appreciate her music on that level, she felt confident. 

***

There was one more thing she had to check before she could finally rest. 

Amami’s room. The knife in her pocket served as a grim reminder of the mysterious message he supposedly left her in his bedroom. 

She felt her heart beating faster. The uncertainty was nauseating. 

She had no idea what Amami could have left for her there. Probably some sort of notes in his notepad, but what did he see? What did he know? Why did he not tell anyone before his death? He whispered it right into her ear, so clearly he didn't want anybody else to hear...so he probably wanted to hide it from the mastermind. Did he know who they are? If so…how did he know? 

She gulped. There was no other way to find out the answer to her questions. 

‘Hey, Monokuma!’

‘What is it?’ Monokuma asked from right behind her. 

‘Can you open Amami-kun’s room?’

‘Why would I do that?’ Monokuma asked, tilting his head. 

‘I wanted to investigate his room now that he's, um…dead.’

‘Have you no respect for the privacy of the dead?’ Monokuma asked in an accusatory tone. ‘Nobody goes into these dorms outside of the investigation! Even I won't go inside!’

‘So I can't go inside until someone dies?’

‘You misunderstand. You can only enter the victim's bedroom. And whoever lets you inside, obviously. You're locked out of Amami-kun’s bedroom…forever.’

Akamatsu didn't respond. The fatigue was finally catching up to her. She didn't even have the energy to argue with Monokuma. 

She touched the door to Amami’s bedroom. _Amami-kun…I'm sorry. I can't carry out your last will. I don't know exactly what happened between you and Gonta-kun, but I know you were a good person. You accepted your punishment with dignity…I'll make sure you won't be forgotten._

She looked over at Gonta’s door and gulped. _Gonta-kun…I broke my promise. You never got to tell me about your bugs. I hope wherever you are, there are all the bugs you want. All you wanted was to be a gentleman, and someone took advantage of that. I will make sure I find them and make them pay for it._

She then entered her bedroom, stumbled onto her bed, and cried herself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/550754916029825024/unknown.png <\- map update


	16. Chapter 2: Daily Life 2

Iruma Miu opened her eyes and groaned.

She couldn't shake the feeling that she wasted a lot of time, asleep out of obligation rather than necessity.

She'd slept enough in her life. Now, she had to create whenever she could, until someone inevitably murders her in this killing game. Out of envy for her genius, of course.

It was definitely too early to get food. The announcement hadn't played yet. She didn't care about the new 'nighttime rule,' of course. She wasn't doing anything wrong by working late into the night, and it's not like she was planning a murder. She could if she wanted, of course. She was a genius, after all.

She also could leave the dorms if she wanted. Nobody would have found out. She could just go to the warehouse and get more parts. At least the shibari machine was done and set down by her bed. It might have been her best work yet.

She simply decided against it, because...because she could make a blueprint instead, of course.

She sat up on her bed and touched the back of her head. Her hair was braided. Why was that? She struggled to remember.

Oh, right. Hoejou. Iruma clicked her tongue.

After the both of them finally found Ouma, Toujou offered to braid Iruma's hair to keep it out of her eyes when he's working. Initially, Iruma wanted to protest, but she decided to humour the maid.

Immeditely after, she passed out, so she never got the chance to check if it made a difference, or how it looked. She got up from the bed and limped towards the mirror.

It didn't look bad – Iruma Miu couldn't look bad even if she tried. However, it definitely looked...alien. Iruma never tied her hair in any way, opting instead to let it flow behind her majestically. Even though there were no weak assets to her appearance, of course, her hair was definitely one of her strongest ones.

And now, it was restrained into a single rope-like braid resting betwen her shoulderblades. Toujou did a good job of taming her mane...too good, really.

Iruma sat down at her desk and started sketching a new plan. She had to admt it was convenient to not have to whip hr hair back every few minutes. She scoffed. 

Taking a bite out of an energy bar she had stolen, she continued to work.

***

Akamatsu Kaede opened her eyes and immediately regretted it.

Seeing her dorm reminded her of the cruel reality that she was still locked in this bizarre school run by some sadist, hidden god knows where, and that the person she relied the most on for comfort was now dead after he stabbed someone in the heart. 

The first and more pressing concern, however, was that since she cried herself to sleep last evening, her eyes were now puffy and red, revealing her breakdown to the entire world. She absolutely couldn’t let anyone see that.

She sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes. Hopefully, washing her face with warm water would help wash all the stress and emotions away, if only temporarily. 

She entered the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. It wasn't a pleasant sight, admittedly - her hair was an absolute mess, there were dark bags under her eyes, her lips were chapped, and her entire face was red and sweaty. She breathed in and out for a full minute, trying to regain her composure. She could do it. 

Slowly but surely, she fixed her own appearance. Water splashed against her face. She brushed her hair with her fingers and made sure it wasn't sticking in all directions. Eventually, she was ready to face the world - at least on the surface. 

After a good night's sleep, recounting the events of the previous day was in order. She cursed under her breath, remembering that she wasn't allowed inside Amami’s room. She tried to cling onto the hope that whoever was running the game would change their mind eventually - perhaps there's going to be some sort of an unlocking pattern, similar to the new areas. 

Right, new areas. She smiled at her reflection for the first time in days. The piano was somewhat soothing, at least when she forced herself to forget that being reunited with her beloved instrument cost two human lives. Once she saw it, nothing else mattered - not even the other instruments in the room. Definitely not the Bio and Chem Labs that so thoroughly repelled her. 

As she walked towards the door, thoughts kept popping up in her head, as if there was a queue that had been pending since the trial was over. There were many questions that she didn't have answers to. 

And that's when she heard a doorbell. Surprised, she opened the door. 

‘Good morning, Kaede!’ Angie beamed at her from the crack in the door. ‘Angie is glad to see you're in your dorm!’

‘Oh, Angie-san,’ Akamatsu muttered as she processed what was happening, ‘is this about your nighttime rule?’ she then asked, having made the connection. 

‘Yup yup!’ Angie nodded enthusiastically. ‘Angie's checking on everyone! She's going to check again in the evening, too! Isn't that exciting?’

‘Is that really…necessary?’ Akamatsu asked cautiously with an awkward smile. ‘I mean, what if someone goes to bed early and can't hear you? Or they're tired and oversleep? It wouldn't mean they're not in their rooms.’

‘Oh, don't worry! Angie took that into account! If she doesn't find them anywhere else, that means they're in their own dorm, right? So it still works!’

‘I…I guess,’ Akamatsu agreed absentmindedly. ‘Hey, can I have a question?’

‘Sure thing, but make it quick! Angie has to check all the other dorms too!’

‘Of course…I'm just wondering how the whole…premonition thing worked. I'm not knowledgeable about that stuff at all so I can't even imagine what it felt like…I'm sorry if that's an insensitive question or something...’

‘Actually, Angie thinks you could experience it too, Kaede! Angie is simply in tune with the universe. So she sometimes can feel that something is happening! It's as simple as that. You just have to listen, and you will start to feel it too,’ Angie assured. 'In your heart. It might be ovrwhelming at first, but Angie got used to it!'

Akamatsu blinked slowly. ‘Do you really think I could experience something like that? I'm not sure if I'd want to, though…’

‘Oh, don't worry about it too much, Kaede. Angie thinks that you're doing great in your own way,’ she said sincerely. ‘But now Angie has to go, see you at breakfast!’

Akamatsu waved at her as she left her room. She watched Angie ring the next doorbell. That was certainly admirable dedication, although it was bound to irritate certain people. Akamatsu wasn't sure how she felt about it yet, as all she felt was certain relief over knowing more about Angie's sixth sense. That left one less question to answer. 

When she entered the hall, one particular question leapt to the front, demanding to be noticed and considered. It made her nauseous, but she couldn't escape it. 

Did she really believe what Amami suggested about Gonta? 

She thought about it the entire time until she opened the door to the cafeteria, and the only answer that seemed right was: yes. The implications of that, though, were that someone, anyone from the group, was responsible. And that was something she didn't want to think about.

‘Hey, Toujou-san!’ she greeted the maid, who was preparing food. ‘Did you manage to find Ouma-kun yesterday? I fell asleep so I never got to ask.’

Toujou’s face temporarily twisted into a grimace before turning back to normal in a matter of seconds. That was the only time Akamatsu recalled seeing her show something resembling anger. 

‘Yes, we did find him,’ Toujou informed, calming herself down. ‘However, it took about three hours, after which it turned out he had just gone into his room for a nap.’

‘Oh,’ Akamatsu muttered sympathetically. ‘So it was a prank.’

‘It appears so. I will not be fooled again, though,’ she declared, grabbing a tray of food. 'I will check there first next time.'

‘But if he asks you to do it again, you will?’ Akamatsu pressed, tilting her head.

‘Of course. If he wishes for me to entertain him, I must do so. It is part of my service.’

‘I see,’ Akamatsu said, nodding along. Ouma was definitely going to take advantage of that again and again. At least it was fairly harmless in the grand scheme of things. ‘Um, did you check on Saihara-kun, by the way? I completely forgot about him because of the mess with the murder…’

‘I checked on him during the investigation, after the trial, and then again this morning. I'm afraid he's still unconscious. I will check again this afternoon.’

‘Oh…do you…do you think he'll ever wake up?’ Akamatsu bit her bottom lip. She felt a certain sense of shame over her negligence regarding his condition.

‘Certainly. I'm not sure what exactly happened to him, but I believe he will at least regain consciousness, hopefully soon.’

‘I think…I'm going to ask Iruma-san if she could invent something that would let him communicate with us, just in case. I can't believe I didn't think of that before.’

‘That might be a good idea,’ Toujou admitted with a soft smile on her face. ‘Perhaps you could ask when she joins us for breakfast. If she does, that is.’

‘You and Angie-san are so efficient,’ Akamatsu remarked, watching as Toujou set multiple plates down on the table. 

‘As always, Akamatsu-san, I'm simply fulfilling my duties,’ Toujou protested, shaking her head. She was still smiling. 

‘Angie's brought some people for breakfast!’ an excited voice proclaimed from the doorstep. Akamatsu turned around. 

She had come early, so not many people were inside when she came, only Toujou and Shirogane,who was sitting quietly, unnoticed. Now, Angie had brought over Yumeno and Ouma, the latter of whom was grinning, while the former seemed exhausted. 

‘Ouma-kun joining us for group breakfast again?’ Akamatsu folded her arms over her chest. 

‘I can't pass up homemade food, even if I have to eat it in the same room as Momota-chan!’

‘That's fair,’ Akamatsu muttered hesitantly. ‘Though, Momota-kun isn't here yet.’

‘Maybe I can finish before he comes!’ Ouma exclaimed, overjoyed. 

Yumeno quietly sat down with her eyes focused on the table. 

***

Many people joined the group breakfast, as per usual. Most of them, Akamatsu noticed, at least seemed well-rested compared to the last time she saw them, with a single exception - Yumeno, who seemed sickly. Nobody seemed to pay any attention to that, though. 

The topic of the day was, predictably, the promised memory restoration.

‘How do you think that's going to work?’

‘As in?’

‘Like, are they gonna use some sci-fi technology on us?’

‘I doubt it, but who knows what kinda funding the mastermind has…’

‘You guys are so naive.’

‘What are you so smug for? Do you know what we're actually going to get? Because…you're the mastermind, perhaps?’

‘Hey, maybe we could stop throwing accusations at each other?’

‘It's not an accusation, it's just a question!’

Akamatsu sat quietly and listened. She couldn't take her eyes off Yumeno’s small frame. Her eyes met Tenko's briefly. 

‘All I'm saying, ‘ Hoshi said firmly, ‘is that I don't expect Monokuma to just give us everything. That would probably ruin his fun. We're probably just getting another motive out of this.’

‘That sounds like something Monokuma would do, yeah…’ Shirogane agreed, looking down at her plate. ‘D-do you think we should just ignore whatever we get to spite him?’

‘You can't make everyone do that, but it would probably be smart to,’ Hoshi advised, nodding. 

‘I guess we'll see soon enough,’ Shirogane sighed. 

Sure enough, that was when an announcement called them over to the gym.

***

Akamatsu was getting tired of being called over to the gym just to listen to the bear talk for thirty minutes straight. She felt uneasy at the thought that this was just another setup for motive distribution, but it seemed like the most likely possibility. 

‘How are you doing, you bastards?’ Monokuma looked down at them with what one could mistake for a friendly smile. 

‘Are you going to keep your promise, or do we have to sit through your stalling again?’ Harukawa asked matter-of-factly, glaring at him. Some people nodded or hummed along in support. 

‘I'm a bear of my word, Harukawa-san. Your distrust offends me.’

‘Pardon my caution,’ she said, narrowing her eyes, ‘but you've been stalling for twenty four hours now. I don't think you need even more time.’

‘That's a good point, but it's gonna be worth the wait, I promise! Are you ready?’

Harukawa rolled her eyes. Multiple people groaned. Ouma bagan bouncing on his feet before Toujou placed a hand on his shoulder, weighing him down. 

‘Well, you guys might wanna check under your beds after you go back to the dorms. Left a little surprise for you there!’

‘So this is how it is,’ Hoshi muttered under his breath. 

‘Under our beds…?’ Tenko's eyes widened. ‘You entered Tenko's bedroom? How dare you!’

‘I'm a bear. Bears don't have genders, if that's what bothers you . I can go wherever I want!’ Monokuma grinned. 

‘That...I'm not sure that's accurate,’ Akamatsu remarked under her breath. ‘I have a question. Does Saihara-kun get one too?’

‘Akamatsu-san, you never run out of questions, do you? Anyway, he'll get his when he wakes up. If he ever does. Otherwise it'd be kinda pointless, don't you think?’

Akamatsu stayed quiet. 

‘Anyway, enjoy your reward for solving the case! And remember, you asked for it. I take absolutely no responsibility for the effects it might have on you!’

And, once again, the bear disappeared. 

The students looked at each other in silence and then, one by one, left the gym. 

***

Akamatsu elected to ignore whatever was under her bed for now. She decided it's not worth checking out, or even thinking about. Which, coincidentally, was why she kept thinking about not thinking about it. 

To distract herself, she decided to hit the gachapon machine before hopefully hanging out with some people. Unsurprisingly, she found that the machine was temporarily occupied by Momota, who flinched and turned around when she entered the room. 

‘Hi, Momota-kun,’ she greeted, pretending to be unaware of his reaction. 

‘Hey. You wanna use the machine?’ he asked nonchalantly, clearly trying to cover it up. 

‘Yeah, I need to take my mind off things,’ she admitted, sighing. 

‘Hey, no shame. One of your crushes died and the other got bonked on the head.’

‘Crush?’ her eyes widened. ‘On Amami-kun or Saihara-kun…? I don't have a crush on either of them, Momota-kun. What gave you that idea?’ She distinctly remembered someone assuming she and Saihara were together, but she never expected to hear that same assumption being made about Amami. She bit her lip.

‘You hung out with them a lot. Are you sure you weren't into either of them? Even a little?’ he continued asking, clearly struggling to wrap his head around the concept.

‘I'm not interested in men, Momota-kun,’ she informed, trying desperately not to laugh. 

‘Any men? Just haven't found the right one?’ his confusion grew. Akamatsu told herself to be patient. He seemed genuinely lost rather than malicious, but it didn’t change the fact she was mildly inconvenienced by it. For a second, she got the feeling he was hurt personally, somehow...

‘No men, I'm afraid. I just like girls,’ she said with a shrug as Momota moved towards the door. 

‘Oh, that's…I've never met anyone like that before,’ he confessed, running his fingers through the hair on the back of his head. ‘And you don’t look like… Anyway, uh… good for you,’ he said quickly before leaving the room, giving her thumbs up despite his face clearly betraying some mixed feelings. 

Akamatsu wondered just how sheltered he might have been. Then, she remembered Tenko and Ouma, and smiled widely. Momota was unaware of many things, she thought. 

She started playing with the machine, wondering who she might want to hang out with this time. There were many things she wanted to talk about with many people.   
She wondered who was going to check out the ‘gifts’ from Monokuma and who would resist the urge. Maybe it was harmless, after all…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.strawpoll.me/17539660 <\- FTE poll. As usual, 2 votes per person. As you might have noticed, the FTEs are technically plot-relevant, so choose carefully.
> 
> I wanna take a moment to thank everyone for sticking with this rewrite. It truly means a lot.


	17. Chapter 2: Daily Life 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, you guys really love Ouma, which is good, cuz I love writing his FTEs!
> 
> Iiruma was 2nd in the poll when I started writing and when I was done, she was drawing with Toujou - so the latter gets dibs on the next set oof FTEs
> 
> That all said: enjoy!

Akamatsu got a water out of the vending machine and she was ready to go. Her feet took her, against her better judgement, towards a very specific person.

'Oh, Akamatsu-chan! Did you want to see my cloak up close in the daylight?' Ouma greeted her cheerfully when she walked up to him in the Bio Lab.

'Not really,' she admitted. 'Are you planning on wearing that forever?'

'Maybe. Maybe not. We'll have to see if I get bored,' he said nonchalantly. 'By the way, do you have more gum for me, Akamatsu-chan? The exploding kind?' He perked up. 'It was so funny to see everyone's faces when they thought something exploded in the school!'

'I bet it was,' she muttered with a sigh, throwing another pack to him. 'Here you go. Now can we talk?'

'Akamatsu-chan, I had no idea you're so eager to talk to me,' he remarked, putting a piece of gum in his mouth. 'But, 'kay, I'm not doing anything, so we can sit by the skeleton and talk!'

'Does it have to be by the skeleton?' she asked, shuddering. He was already walking towards it.

'Of course, Akamatsu-chan. It's only fitting, you know,' he insisted, taking a seat. Akamatsu joined him reluctantly. 'So,' Ouma prompted, looking down at his fingernails, 'what did you want from me, anyway?'

'I just wanted to ask about your organisation,' she said firmly, 'since the trial, I've been thinking about it...'

'Oh? Did you realise I'm behind this whole game? Good job, Akamatsu-chan!'

She stared at him wide-eyed. 'No.' She shook her head. 'I don't think it's you. You just want me to think it is for some reason.'

'Jeez, Akamatsu-chan, why don't you EVER believe me,' he complained, pouting. 'Who else would it be? I'm the one who set Gonta up, you know?'

Akamatsu tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. 'I could believe that, but what's in it for you? Besides,' she added, shaking her head, 'I refuse to doubt anyone! Can we please stop talking about that?'

'I thought that's what you wanted to talk about,' he pointed out, pursing his lips. 'But, okay, before I tell you about my organization, I have to test you, don't I? I can't just give out information freely. It's kind of a secret, y'know?' he leaned towards her with a wide smile. 'Do you accept the challenge'?

'I can't accept it if I don't know what the test is!' she protested, folding her arms over her chest. 'What if it's dangerous or something!'

'Akamatsu-chan, you wound me,' he said, bringing his hand up to his chest, as if to show her where she hurt him. 'Do I look like I would ever make you do anything dangerous? Life-threatening? You would be of no value for me and my organization if you were dead!'

'You're trying to recruit me?' Akamatsu's eyes widened. 'Like, for real?'

'Maybe. We'll see if you pass the test. Nishishi~' he giggled into his hand. 'You know, Monokuma is right, you really ask too many questions. It's time for me to ask mine. That's gonna be the test. So, you accept.'

'I guess...if it's just a question, there's no harm in trying,' she said hesitantly. 'I'm ready.'

'Good, good,' he leaned back in his chair, narrowing his catlike eyes at her. 'If your house were on fire...' he paused for the sake of suspense, 'what or who would you take out of it? You can only choose one thing!'

'Huh?' Akamatsu tilted her head. 'Is that really the question?'

'Yup, yup,' he said with a nod, 'I really want to hear your answer. First thing that comes to mind, no thinking! Go, go, go!'

'I-I'd...' Akamatsu stuttered, 'I'd probably save the piano? Um...'

'Akamatsu-chan,' Ouma said, obviously trying to cover up his giggle, 'how do you plan to accomplish that?' The condescension in his voice stung her sense of pride. 'Unless you'ree hiding an 8-pack under your vest, I don't think you could carry a piano out of your house. You could throw it out the window, maybe,' he mused, 'but I don't think it'd be usable afterwards.'

'Hey, you have no right to mock me!' she raised her voice, glaring at him. Her face was red from embarrassment and frustration. 'You told me to say the first thing that came to mind, without thinking about it! You did that just to make fun of me! So unfair!'

Ouma looked at her with a blank expression for a few seconds before smirking. 'Well, Akamatsu-chan, I didn't expect that from you! I'm impressed. You're right, I can't judge you for that. Now, could you give me a thought-out answer that I can judge properly?'

'If you stop being so condescending!' she demanded. 

'Fiiiiine,' he agreed, rolling his eyes. 'Go ahead, Akamatsu-chan.'

'Okay,' she said slowly, 'I think I have the answer, but you'll probably find it stupid too. I think, maybe...' she gulped, 'I'd take my backpack. It can carry a lot of things, like my wallet, my toothbrush, and a change of clothes...maybe my favourite records...but it would still count as one thing, I think? I'd just have to pack everything I can inside. Does that work?'

Ouma's smile got wider and wider while she was talking. Tthis time, however, he didn't seem amused, so much as satisfied...or perhaps impressed.

'Wow, Akamatsu-chan,' he said, almost softly. 'I never took you for one to look for loopholes like that. I underestimated you.'

'That you did,' she said proudly, folding her arms over her chest.

'Honestly, that's probably the second best possible answer to this question. I'm super impressed, really!' he leaned towards her excitedly.

'Out of curiosity, what's the best answer?' she asked immediately.

'Oh, it's taking out the fire, obviously,' he informed nonchalantly.

'Huh?' her eyes widened. 'I don't think that counts as an option. It's way less realistic than taking the piano out!'

'Fair point, fair point,' he admitted, biting his thumb. 'But I make the rules of this question, so I can allow the fire but not the piano if I want.'

'Why did you ask me that, anyway? You're not planning to set anything on fire, are you?'

'Nooooooooooooope. Nope. It's just for my own information.'

'I'm not going to ask why you needed this...I'm tired now. I think I'm going to talk to someone else.'

'Aw, it sounds like I tired you out, Akamatsu-chan. That's rude. Anyway,' he added, resting his hands on the back of his head, 'you go do that. I'm just gonna hang out with my skeleton friend. At least he doesn't talk back or ask stupid questions!'

Akamatsu left the room, rolling her eyes.

The next visit she had planned was presumably going to test her patience just as much.

She hadn't seen Iruma all day. She wasn't in the warehouse or the Chem Lab, she never came to breakfast. That left one possibility.

Akamatsu rang the doorbell. Within a few seconds, the door opened slightly, revealing Iruma's disgruntled face.

'What the fuck do you want? Can I work anywhere in peace without you fuckers pestering me? Oh, Bakamatsu,' she said, finally realising who was at the door. 'What the fuck do you want?'

'I was thinking that we could hang out if you want?' Akamatsu elected to stay calm no matter what. 'If you're not too busy. I have something for you,' she added, presenting a dog tag, which Iruma immediately grabbed.

She thought about it for a while. 'Eh, I was just designing a new thing for Kiibs. I'm almost done, so I guess...I can sacrifice some of my time for you.' Her eyes lit up. 'You came to play with the shibari machine, didn't ya? C'mon, don't be shy! You don't even need to take your clothes off!'

'N-no thanks,' Akamatsu protested weakly. 'Do you have something less...inappropriate I could look at?'

'Man, you're a fuckin' prude,' Iruma complaind, clicking her tongue. 'I might have somethin' in the works in the warehouse.'

'We could go there, then,' Akamatsu suggested enthusistically. 'I'd love to see.'

'Fine,' Iruma agreed hesitantly, stepping out of the room.

'Oh!' Akamatsu gasped. 'New hairstyle? It looks really pretty!'

'This?' Iruma touched the back of her head. She was blushing slightly. 'Hoejou did it yesterday. I've been too lazy to undo it.'

'Hoejou...You mean Toujou-san,' Akamatu realised. 'That's nice of her! I'm sure it must be easier to work with your hair tied. So it doesn't get in your eyes and stuff.'

'Yeah, yeah, whatever, I don't care,' Iruma scoffed. 'My hair never stopped me from working before, so I don't give a shit either way. Now c'mon before I change my mind.'

They made it to the warehouse, where Iruma could show off some of her inventions. Akamatsu was slightly mortified.

'Hookup Counter?' she asked weakly, looking at the strange machine.

'Yeah!' Iruma confirmed proudly. 'You can check how man hookups someone had with this baby! Anyone!'

'Please don't point it at me!' Akamatsu demanded, shoving it away with her hands. 'What on earth would you need that information for? H-how does the machine know that, anyway?'

'Honey, I need all the information I can get. Plus, it makes bullying virgins much easier,' she explained.

'I don't like that,' Akamatsu protested, shoving it away. 'I told you I wanted to see something appropriate! Nothing about this is comfortable!'

'God, you're a huge fuckin' baby,' Iruma said, rolling her eyes. 'I can't only make stuff people like you find important or appropriate or what-the-fuck-ever. You just can't appreciate it, which is your problem, not mine.' She paused as if she got an idea. 'What about X-Ray Visor, eh?'

'X-Ray? Well...' Akamatsu hesitated. 'It does sound useful, I think.'

Iruma showed her the device. 'Try it on me,' she demanded. Akamatsu reluctantly put it up to her eyes and immediately gave it back.

'Iruma-san! I could see through your clothes!'

'Like what you see, eh?' Iruma cackled loudly. 'It has some other modes as well, but that one is the best!'

Akamatsu blushed furiously. 'Please, don't use it on anyone else!' she demanded.

'Oh, don't worry about that, I just use iit on myself. You fuckers ain't worth it, really. Chill yer tits.'

'You can just take off your clothes and it would be the same...' Akamatsu pointed out instinctively.

'You have no fuckin' clue what you're talking about!' Iruma scolded. 'Peeping through clothes give you a thrill like no other!' she insisted, hugging herself.

Akamatsu decided that it was healthier for her to not even bother to understand that. She simply wonderred if Iruma meant everything she said, or if she was simply trying to make her uncomfortable. That was the one thing she hoped she would find out eventually.

'Hey, Iruma-san? Remember what you told me about your inventions that let you do things in your sleep?'

'Yeah, obviously. They're fuckin' revolutionary is what I told ya! You'd better remember that!'

'Would you be able to make one here?'

'What the fuck would you need it for here? Then again, with that shitty nighttime rule in place...' she clicked her tongue. 'Anyway, of course I'd be able. There's nothing I'm incapable of.'

'I was just thinking about Saihara-kun...he's been out cold for so long now. I wish there was a way to wake him up or help him do things when he's unconscious like this...'

'For Dasaihara? Then no,' Iruma said matter-of-factly, putting the visor away.

'Huh? Why? I thought you said you're able-'

'Listen, I can do anything. Doesn't mean I'm gonna,' she retorted with a shrug. 'I can't risk that he's gonna wake up or die before I finish. Those things take a lot of time to build, you know? Time and energy of yours truly, which I'd prefer to spend on something that matters. Like upgrades for Kiibs.'

'What kind of upgrades?' Akamatsu asked suspiciously.

'You'll see when they're done! All I gotta say is, it's gonna be a huge fuckin' improvement. I'm so hyped to be able to work with pre-existent AI!' she admitted excitedly, and immediately cleared her throat. 'Anyway...I might consider it, but you really shoulda asked earlier. What kinda functions do ya even think he needs?'

'Well...I'm kind of worried that he's going to dehydrate?' Akamatsu admitted.

'Then I shouldn't come near him, he'd just get more thirsty!' Iruma started cackling disgustingly, bent in half from laughter. 'I'll think about it, but don't fuckin' count on it, okay? Maybe I'd be more likely to do it if you got on your knees and begged.'

Akamatsu immediately got down on one knee, smiling up at Iruma, who blushed furiously.

'W-what the fuck? Are you gonna propose or somethin'?' she mumbled, shuddering slightly.

'I believe you can help me, Iruma-san,' Akamatsu said sincerely, getting up from the floor. 'Not with just that. I believe we might make it out of here thanks to you one day.'

'O-of fuckin' course you will... You'd be dead without me and my genius brain!' Iruma stated confidently. 'Now, shoo. I have to get the parts I need and continue my work.'

***

Akamatsu’s legs took her back to the music room the instant she was alone. She missed it desperately. Her only solace, the one space where she felt safe. 

She looked around the room, leaving the door just barely open. The first time she came there, she paid no attention to anything but the piano, but now she noticed the variety of instruments lying around. 

There was a single acoustic guitar, a keyboard, a few small drums, and a variety of brass instruments. She found an entire shelf full of recorders, and a trumpet. She couldn't tell what some of the instruments were by name, but they still were oddly calming, although she made a mental note of hiding the trumpet from Ouma if possible - although, he could make any instrument sound annoying and loud if he tried, she assumed, unless he's been hiding a prodigious musical talent the entire time. 

She sat down by the piano and closed her eyes with a sigh. Her fingers touched the keys gently, and soon started playing a simple melody. 

It wasn't ideal to play by herself, but it was the only loneliness she enjoyed right now. Perhaps soon she would be able to play for everyone? It was a comforting thought. 

At least, until she remembered there is a traitor or mastermind amongst them,who would also be listening, and is in fact probably listening right now through the cameras she'd seen all over the school, one of whom was pointed directly at her piano. Her hands formed fists and hit the keys louder, startling Tenko, who had just walked into the room. 

‘Akamatsu-san, is everything alright?’ she asked immediately, genuine concern in her voice. ‘Tenko heard a loud noise.’

‘Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry if I startled you, I just…slipped,’ Akamatsu said with a forced smile. ‘What's up?’ she asked, noticing that Tenko was nervously stroking her own arm. 

‘Oh…well,’ she said hesitantly, ‘Tenko doesn't want to bother you, Akamatsu-san, but she has a concern only you can help with.’

‘You're not bothering me at all!’ Akamatsu assured, shaking her head. ‘I'm always here to help, you know? We have to work together!’ She hadn't had the opportunity to say something like that in a while after the murder. Perhaps this was her opportunity to regain faith in the group, whatever it was that Tenko needed from her. 

‘Tenko knew that she can count on you!’ She sighed with relief, but kept looking down at her feet. She was clearly embarrassed about whatever she wanted to say. 

‘What's the problem, Chabashira-san?’ Akamatsu prompted encouragingly. She had a certain idea of what it might be about. ‘Is it related to Yumeno-san?’

Tenko perked up. ‘You noticed too, Akamatsu-san? She's been unwell…Tenko is worried.’

‘You haven't had the opportunity to ask her what's up?’ Akamatsu remembered the sight of exhausted Yumeno resting on Angie's back. ‘She was really tired yesterday…’

‘Tenko thinks Yumeno-san was asleep all day yesterday. She only came out for breakfast this morning and then went back to her room. Tenko was wondering if you'd…want to go with her to check if she's okay…’

‘Oh! Of course,’ Akamatsu said, nodding. Tenko didn't need to say anything more. The reason she asked Akamatsu to assist was clear to her. She didn't want to bother Yumeno on her own, afraid of coming across as forceful. Akamatsu smiled up at her encouragingly. ‘I'm not doing anything, so let's go right now. I'm sure she's been very lonely.’

Tenko's eyes widened with worry. ‘That's what Tenko was thinking…let's hurry.’

***

Akamatsu told herself to be calm even if Yumeno doesn't answer the door. It wouldn't necessarily mean anything, she reasoned. She might just be asleep. 

The two girls stood in front of Yumeno's door. Tenko hesitated to ring the doorbell, so Akamatsu did it for her, gaining confidence and protective instincts in the face of fear. 

After about a minute of silence, during which Akamatsu could hear Tenko's heartbeat, along with her own, as neither of them breathed, Yumeno finally opened the door just a bit , looking at them through the crack. She seemed even more exhausted than the last time they saw her, but her face remained perfectly neutral, as if to clumsily cover up her actual state. 

‘If it isn't Tenko and Kaede,’ she said, raising one eyebrow. ‘What brings you to my lair?’ she then asked solemnly. She seemed to barely be able to stand straight. 

Tenko and Akamatsu exchanged a glance, followed by a small nod. Tenko bit her bottom lip. 

‘We were wondering if you'd join us for tea,’ she then said with a gentle smile. Akamatsu could tell she was trying not to cry.

‘Tea?’ Yumeno brought her finger up to her chin, looking up, deep in thought. ‘I suppose I haven't had anything to drink since breakfast.’

‘What?’ Akamatsu’s eyes widened in shock. ‘That's like…seven hours! You're going to get dehydrated! Did you drink anything yesterday?’

‘That's really unhealthy, Yumeno-san!’ Tenko said at that same moment. ‘We absolutely need to get you a drink!’

‘Curses, you lot are way too loud,’ Yumeno grumbled, covering her ears. ‘There's no need to be concerned about me, but I suppose…we can go. Just stop yelling or I'll get another migraine.’

‘Sorry,’ they said in unison. They exchanged another glance, this time even more concerned. 

***

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they only found Hoshi there. Toujou, Akamatsu assumed, was probably off playing hide and seek with Ouma yet again. She smiled weakly at the thought. 

‘Hello, Hoshi-kun,’ she greeted briefly as she prepared the tea for herself and the other girls, who had sat down on the other end of the table from him. He simply nodded at her, glancing at the other two. 

‘Yumeno-san, I don't mean to tire you with questions…’ Tenko started nervously. 

‘But you're going to anyway, I can tell, ‘ Yumeno remarked with a sigh. ‘How many times must I remind you I'm fine?’

‘I was just wondering if you really slept all day yesterday,’ Tenko insisted, but then she added firmly, ‘and I can see something has been bothering you, and I don't understand why you don't want to talk about it.’

‘I did sleep all day and night, but you do remember that we were woken up in the middle of the night, correct? I need a lot of sleep in general, but I had a lot of energy to regain after that night,’ Yumeno explained, pouting. ‘There is nothing for you to worry about, Tenko.’

Akamatsu sat down next to them, setting the teacups down on the table.

‘Yumeno-san, are you sure? You seem kind of tired,’ Akamatsu asked cautiously. The bags under Yumeno's eyes were alarming. 

‘Even if I am, why is that any of your business?’ Yumeno asked flatly. 

Akamatsu’s jaw dropped at that. She knit her eyebrows. ‘Because we're friends! We can help you!’

Yumeno looked at her blankly. ‘I was not aware that you have to tell friends everything. Besides,’ she added with a sigh, ‘you can't really help me.’

‘Yumeno-san…’ Tenko said softly under her breath. ‘Even if we can't help you, we can listen. It always helps to express your emotions! You will feel so much lighter afterwards! Tenko always feels better after she shares her worries!’

Yumeno glanced at her skeptically. ‘Maybe it works for you, but I refuse to involve others in my business.’

‘I'm not sure if you want me to weigh in, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation,’ Hoshi said calmly with a sad smile. ‘Chabashira, it's not always easy to share your feelings. I would rather not do it, personally. We all have our business that we'd rather not tell anyone about.’

Yumeno perked up at those words, but pouted as soon as she heard the rest of what he had to say. 

‘But, Yumeno,’ he continued, looking into her eyes, ‘you won't feel better by pushing your friends away. Trust me on that one. You have a lot to live for, and your friends are not in your way. Don't be like me.’

Yumeno got up from her seat. Her face was still relatively emotionless, but her fists were clenched. She shook her head. 

‘You don't understand,’ she said before walking out of the cafeteria. The remaining three looked at the teacup she left behind. 

***

‘Hey, Hoshi-kun,’ Akamatsu prompted, ‘what did you mean when you said ‘don't be like me’?’

Hoshi smirked. ‘I wasn't talking to you, but I should have expected you'd want to know,’ he remarked, looking at the wall. He was tapping his fingers on the table. ‘First tell me what this entire scene was about. She really didn't want to be here.’

‘Akamatsu-san and Tenko were worried about Yumeno-san, since she's been acting like…like that,’ Tenko explained, biting her lip. ‘We really hoped she'd open up.’

Hpshi shook his head. ‘You can't make someone open up by force, because it won't feel cathartic at all. You can't make certain people open up, period. Some things are better left unsaid.’

‘Tenko thinks that there's nothing good about bottling up your emotions,’ she scoffed. ‘One has to be honest and express how they feel!’

‘That's why you still haven't told Yumeno how you feel?’ Hoshi asked, looking up at her. 

Tenko blushed, taken aback, and shook her head. ‘That's different! Tenko has been expressing it with her every action! Words are not necessary! And…’ she added quietly, ‘it was too much for Yumeno-san to handle anyway.’

Hoshi watched her with deep sympathy. ‘I see. Well, I kind of admire that about you, Chabashira. I can't express anything through actions or words, and I have an entire collection of feelings I bottled up. Whatever you do, don't give up, but take it from me…Yumeno needs to choose to come to you. She's battling some demons right now, and she won't be happy if you take that away from her. She might only invite you to help.’

‘You know, Hoshi-san,’ Tenko admitted, ‘normally, Tenko would hate to be lectured by a man. But maybe there is something of value in what you said. Thank you.’

‘The only thing of value I have is experience. I might as well share it,’ he said, getting up. 

‘Hoshi-kun, I don't think being like you would be a bad thing at all,’ Akamatsu said sincerely. He looked at her, and then away, shaking his head, until he was at the door. 

‘Trust me, Akamatsu. You wouldn't want to be like me if you know more about me,’ he claimed, leaving the cafeteria. 

***

Tenko and Akamatsu remained silent for a while, wrestling with their thoughts. 

Akamatsu was thinking about Yumeno and Harukawa, both of whom she desperately wanted to help, and yet kept being rejected. Actually, when she thought about it…was she truly trying to help Harukawa? Couldn't she be trying harder? She shook her head. 

‘Everyone is so sad, Chabashira-san,’ she sighed rather than spoke. ‘I wish there was a way to help all of us.’

‘Actually, Akamatsu-san,’ Tenko pointed out, ‘I think we can find a way…if we think about it. Your music makes people smile, doesn't it? Tenko believes that you could make everyone feel better!’

‘That's an idea,’ Akamatsu said hesitantly. It was eerily in sync with what she had been thinking about. ‘Maybe I could compose something special to play for everyone?’ she added with a certain degree of enthusiasm. 

‘That'd be wonderful, Akamatsu-san!’ Tenko nodded eagerly. ‘Absolutely wonderful!’

‘Thank you…’ Akamatsu said with a soft smile, looking down at the table. ‘I think I'll try right now.’

‘Tenko's going to go to the gym and see if Momota-san is occupying it. If he isn't, she's going to do some exercising. It always helps release stress!’

‘Stay safe,’ Akamatsu said, getting up, ‘I'll see you later. If anything more happens, please let me know.’

‘Of course!’ Tenko nodded and ran off. 

Akamatsu left soon after, and went towards the music room, but she was stopped on her way by a peculiar group. 

‘Oh, hi, Kiibo-kun, Toujou-san, Shirogane-san!’ she greeted. They appeared to had just left the library, and were now making their way towards the cafeteria. 

‘Greetings, Akamatsu-san!’ Kiibo greeted back, while Toujou bowed and Shirogane nodded shyly.

‘You guys going to the cafeteria?’ Akamatsu asked. She decided that she might not need to hurry to the music room so much. 

‘Yes, Shirogane-san became hungry, and since I am done cleaning the library, I offered to prepare dinner for her.’

‘Th-that makes me sound like I'm using you as my maid…’ Shirogane pointed out nervously. 

‘Shirogane-san, I am a maid.’

‘Oh, right.’

‘What about Kiibo-kun? Actually, can you even eat or drink?’ the words escaped her mouth before she realised they might be just the tiniest bit insensitive. 

‘I can't,’ he admitted. ‘However, I've been interested in the mechanics behind the way human beings prepare and consume food. I am joining Toujou-san to watch her prepare Shirogane-san’s food, so I can recreate the process later.’

‘Oh, I see!’ Akamatsu was impressed. ‘So you're going to become, like, a cooking robot?’

‘I would not want to tie myself to just one field, Akamatsu-san. Perhaps I will learn something from watching Toujou-san clean, too. There's one thing I don't think I can really experience, though…’ the robot looked down nervously. 

‘What is it, Kiibo-kun? Maybe someone can help?’ Akamatsu felt like she had said that line to nearly everyone she met that day. 

‘It's kind of embarrassing,’ Kiibo said sheepishly, ‘but what I want to experience is wearing clothes, preferably personalized for me.’

‘Oh! I don't think that's embarrassing at all,’ Akamatsu exclaimed, clasping her hands. ‘It wouldn't make you short circuit or anything like that, right?’

‘It's not a hazard to my functionality,’ he explained, fiddling his thumbs, ‘but I don't need clothes, so nobody ever put them on me.’

‘Oh, Kiibo-kun, I could help you!’ Shirogane said with newfound enthusiasm. ‘Since I'm a cosplayer, making clothes is kind of my thing! I-if you want to, of course.’

‘I'd be honoured, Shirogane-san! You have so many useful talents!’ he beamed. 

‘Shirogane-san really is a woman of many skills,’ Akamatsu confirmed, nodding.

'I can knit, so if you wish, I could help as well,' Toujou offered. Kiibo's eyes appeared to sparkle.

'Thank you both so much...' he said, choked up. 'I will never forget this favour.'

Having excused herself from the group, Akamatsu made it onto the second floor. She wasn't surprised to see Angie sitting on one of the benches around the tree. It took her a moment to notice Shinguuji was also there. 

‘Hello, Kaede!’ she heard Angie exclaim in her direction. She just waved back. ‘Oh, you're going to play the piano? Just remember to get to the dorms before nighttime!’

‘I will, I will,’ Akamatsu assured, ‘I just need to relax.’

‘Angie understands. That's why she came here too! Is it okay if we listen to you play?’

‘Oh, sure! I'll leave the door open,’ Akamatsu said, entering the music room. Soon, music filled the hall. She was just practicing, trying out different things, while a bigger piece was starting to form in her head. There was something missing, but she couldn't explain what - so she just continued playing. 

***

Yonaga Angie opened her eyes. She wasn't asleep, simply listening to the music. It wasn't what she was used to, but she enjoyed it, letting the melody calm her down - at least as much as possible. 

Angie was not as relaxed as she wanted to be. She had been coming to the ’harmony tree’ to mourn and to think. She always felt more secure with nature around, and that was all she could get in the school. 

‘Korekiyo,’ she whispered eventually, her lips curling into a cat-like smile. 

‘Hm? What is it?’ he asked absentmindedly. Just like her, he was listening to the music. She wondered if it reminded him of some traditional music from a specific town or anything like that. She wasn't that familiar with Japan, so he would often tell her about specific traditions and cultural phenomenons. In turn, she would tell him about life back home. 

Home… 

Did she want to go home? 

No, of course not. She's fine here, as everyone should be. 

‘It's going to be nighttime soon,’ she informed cheerfully, ‘we should probably get Kaede and go to the dorms.’

‘Are you sure it's a good idea to enforce this rule in this way?’ he asked, resting his hand on his cheek. ‘I'm not questioning your methods, of course. I'm just not sure if this system fits everyone.’

‘Oh, Korekiyo. Kiyo. Can Angie call you that?’ she asked, and, not waiting for the answer, continued. ‘Angie can't allow anyone to die again. Like Gonta. Poor Gonta, he really believed in all of us. Angie thought Rantarou did too, but now she's not sure.’ She kept staring at the spot where she found Gonta’s body a few nights ago. ‘She believes we can all live together here. Maybe forever! Wouldn't that be great?’

‘I understand that,’ he said cautiously. He was aware, as was she, that not everyone would want to stay in the school until they die. ‘However, someone might still die during the day. And, need I remind you, someone got murdered despite Ouma-kun watching the halls. I don't think you can prevent it, with all due respect.’

Angie's smile widened into a grin. She stared off into the distance. ‘Silly Kokichi. Angie has no idea why he thought she's suspicious. She's not doing anything wrong, after all!’

Shinguuji remained silent. He didn't know how to respond to that. 

‘It's going to be okay, Kiyo,’ she insisted, getting up from the bench. ‘Angie knows what she's doing. She will make sure everyone is safe. Right? Now, let's go get Kaede and go to the dorms!’ she added, grabbing his bandaged hand. He followed her, squirming slightly at the touch. He wasn't used to physical contact. 

***

A few hours later  
Somewhere in the building   
Someone opened their eyes.


	18. Chapter 2: Daily Life 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a mild breakdown after the last chapter, it took a lot out of me. Remember to read and review it before this one (I am begging I need feedback I've been stressing over it)
> 
> Anyway enjoy maybe hopefully

Akamatsu Kaede woke up and almost immediately sat up on her bed.

An unpleasant reminder demanded she pay attention to it the instant she woke up, despite the fact she was desperate to forget about it. Being in her bed and wide awake, though, didn't allow for that. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to silence it regardless. To no avail.

She had to remember that, a few inches beneath her bed, there was supposed to be Monokuma's 'gift' for them, whatever that meant. It was infinitely more uncomfortable than the pea under the princess' bed...or however that story went. Akamatsu felt it burning through the mattress.

Her memories, allegedly, waiting to be discovered. What kind of memories were they? Was it really something she wanted to remember? Or, perhaps, it was just another attempt to break her down.

Akamatsu's fingers grabbed the bedframe and squeezed it as she gulped, fighting with herself.

She managed to go an entire day without so much as looking under her bed. She wouldn't really have the chance even if she wanted – the issues with Yumeno along with her piano practice had monopoly on her attention. In fact, now that she remembered, the piano put her in such a trance that Angie and Shinguuji had to remind her about the curfew, which was mildly embarrassing. Now she could sympathize with Iruma and her oppsition of the new nighttime rule more easily – if she could play the piano all night, she absolutely would, without a second thought about sleep or the dangers of the killing game.

She sighed deeply. People have always found her piano obsession unsettling. It earned her quite a few mean nicknames, out of which 'piano idiot' stuck in her mind the most. Nobody quite understood that her talent, and her piano, were all she really had. She was unremarkable in most ways, she thought. 

Thinking back to Ouma's odd psychological test, or whatever it was, perhaps it revealed that much about her in the worst way. Her hands balled into fists.

She got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, she looked her reflection in the eyes. She watched herself bite her own bottom lip and then wash her face. She prepared herself to face the day.

She didn't need Monokuma's memories on top of those, but she won't be able to go on without at least checking.

She kneeled on the floor and looked under the bed. It was quite dark, so she reached her hand out cautiously until she felt paper under her fingetips. When she pulled it out, it turned out to be a rather thick envelope. The kanji 'Akamatsu Kaede' were seemingly printed on its back, confirming that the contents were meant for her. Upon closer inspection, she realised that it was actually a sticker of sorts. Presumably, it was typed out in order to make it impossible to track whoever prepared it based on their handwriting. She clicked her tongue.

There was nothing remarkable about the envelope itself. It was plain white, slightly bigger than Akmatsu's hand, and thick from the volume of the contents. She ran her hand against the surface. Whatever was inside didn't seem to be metallic or anything of that sort. Her guess was that it was more paper, although she wasn't certain of that.

That's when Akamatsu heard the piercing sound of the doorbell, causing her to flinch. She frantically hid the envelope back under her bed, which was made unnecessarily difficult because her hands were shaking. After the previous morning, she knew what that doorbell meant for her, even though she had forgotten about it entirely, too busy examining the strange envelope. She got up, dusted herself, and approached the door, trying to hide her current mental state. 

‘Hello, Angie-san,’ she said automatically, opening the door, before her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Ah, Toujou-san!’ she quickly corrected herself upon noticing the maid. It seemed like her assumption was off, putting her back on guard. ‘Sorry, I expected it'd be Angie-san here to check on me…’

‘It is!’ Angie exclaimed, waving her hand from behind Toujou. Akamatsu’s confusion grew. 

‘Then, Toujou-san, did something…happen?’ she asked weakly. 

The maid bowed her head solemnly. ‘Good morning, Akamatsu-san. I don't wish to disturb you, but I thought you would wish to know that Saihara-kun is now awake.’

Akamatsu’s eyes widened once again, her eyebrows riding up her forehead. Her mouth was wide agape. Her shocked face gave Angie the idea to provide a recap of the events in a hasty manner. 

‘Angie checked on Kirumi, and then she went to check on Tsumugi, while Kirumi went to check on Shuuichi, and then…’ Angie took a deep breath, ‘Kirumi told Angie that Shuuichi is awake while she was just about to knock on your door, Kaede! Tsumugi is with him now, Angie thinks.’ She smiled brightly, feeling like she did a good job. 

‘That's a lot to process…’ Akamatsu grabbed her head with a groan. ‘I need to go see him! How is he?’ she asked, expecting the worst. 

‘Perhaps you should see for yourself, Akamatsu-san. I was just about to bring him breakfast, so I will join you in a moment,’ Toujou suggested, taking a step towards Saihara's door. 

‘Come on, Kaede!’ Angie grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room.

***

Akamatsu’s first impression was that Saihara Shuuichi looked utterly miserable. He was never an example of a healthy-looking person, but now, after multiple days spent in his bed, unconscious, with no food or drink, he looked downright terrifying. 

The bags under his eyes took up most of his skinny, pale face. He looked like he'd lost a lot of weight,and his hair was messier than usual, covering half his face. Akamatsu gasped at the sight. 

‘Good morning, Akamatsu-san,’ Shirogane whispered nervously. ‘Saihara-kun is back with us, isn't that w-wonderful?’ her shifty eyes were desperately looking for agreement in Akamatsu’s, who nodded hesitantly. 

‘Saihara-kun?’ she said softly, taking a step forward. His strained yellowish-hazel eyes were looking through her more so than at her, until eventually they lit up with recognition.

‘Akamatsu-san…?’ he said hesitantly, as if he had to dig up her name from the depths of his memory. She sighed in relief. 

‘Yeah. It's me. Saihara-kun,’ she bit her lips. During her pause, Toujou walked into the room with a tray and set it down beside him on the bed. ‘Saihara-kun,’ Akamatsu repeated, ‘do you know how long you've been asleep?’

‘I was just about to tell him,’ Shirogane muttered under her breath, since he glanced at her briefly. 

‘I have no idea,’ he admitted. ‘It feels like I've been out for at least a day…but I can't be sure about that.’

The four women in the room exchanged glances. 

‘You've been asleep for over three days, Saihara-kun,’ Akamatsu said slowly and carefully, hoping not to freak him out.

‘Three days…’ Akamatsu could have sworn his face had gone even paler, but she was convinced that wasn't physically possible. 

‘I hate to ask, but um…’ Shirogane hesitated, but decided to give her question a shot. ‘Do you remember what happened to you?’

‘What do you mean?’ Saihara narrowed his eyes at her in confusion. 

‘Angie thinks that Tsumugi means if you remember what knocked you out!’

‘It's okay if you don't remember,’ Akamatsu assured hastily, ‘especially since you just woke up and all…’

Saihara looked at the faces surrounding his bed, slowly examining each one, as if he was hoping to see some sort of hint in them. All he could see was concern and curiosity, though. 

‘I think,’ he said slowly, knitting his brows, ‘that I just lost consciousness, somehow. Maybe…maybe I hit my head on something. I don't remember. I think I just blacked out.’

‘W-why were you even outside?’ Shirogane asked suddenly. Akamatsu could sense a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Saihara closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. ‘Where did you find me?’ he asked instead of answering the question. 

‘In the library,’ Shirogane answered, ‘which is why I'm wondering why you went there…’

‘I'm not sure why I went there…I just wanted to investigate the school,’ he said finally, looking Akamatsu in the eyes. That served as a reminder for her - was that the promise he wanted to keep? Did she exert too much pressure on him with her speech? 

‘Ah, that makes sense,’ Shirogane admitted, relaxing her muscles. ‘That's expected of a detective, after all. Too bad that you passed out . That usually doesn't happen in mystery novels! You need iron supplements, Saihara-kun, to improve your plot armour!’

‘Excuse me,’ Toujou interrupted, ‘but I believe Saihara-kun should eat something immediately. We should leave as to not disturb him.’

‘Do you need help?’ Angie asked him, tilting her head.

‘No, I'm fine,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I'm too weak to walk, but I think I can handle a sandwich.’ Something resembling a weak smile appeared on his face. 

‘I'll visit you later!’ Akamatsu promised. ‘Actually, what would you want us to do with your key? Toujou-san has been in charge of it so far.’

Saihara looked at her and then at Toujou. ‘I think it's fine if it stays with Toujou-san,’ he decided finally. ‘I will just keep my ID in case I need to leave my room…assuming I regain the strength I need… I think I'm just going to sleep after I eat, if you don't mind… I know I just spent three days unconscious, but that wasn't proper sleep, haha.’

‘You'll be back in shape in no time! You need to rest well before anything else!’ Akamatsu assured, pumping her fist. Angie copied the gesture, giggling loudly. 

‘I'll see you later,’ Saihara said weakly, ‘I don't want to take up any more of your time…’

***

Toujou went to the kitchen to continue preparing breakfast. She was in a rush, being busier that morning than usually. Angie continued her morning routine, checking on the remaining dorms, careful not to miss anyone. Akamatsu realised that she had left the door open when they were visiting Saihara, as to not miss any movement in the dorms. Her dedication to her self-imposed role was admirable, yet more than mildly concerning. 

Shirogane and Akamatsu, however, slowly made their way towards the cafeteria, the former very obviously shaken after the conversation with Saihara. 

‘Shirogane-san, what's up?’ Akamatsu asked, not feeling too well herself. 

‘Oh? N-nothing…I'm just thinking,’ Shirogane claimed, looking down at her feet. 

‘Hey, I can tell something's bothering you,’ Akamatsu remarked, resting her hand on the other’s shoulder. ‘We can talk about it if that'll make you feel better. Did Saihara-kun tell you something concerning to you before we came?’

‘No, we didn't really talk… I didn't even get to tell him about t-the trial…someone will have to do that eventually.’ Shirogane stopped walking and looked around nervously. Having made sure nobody was eavesdropping, she leaned towards Akamatsu’s ear, covering her mouth to avoid having her lips read by the cameras. 

‘I think Saihara-kun is a traitor,’ she whispered in a shaky voice. 

‘Huh?’ Akamatsu took a step back, shocked. ‘What makes you think that?’

‘Don't you think he's acting suspicious?’ Shirogane continued speaking with her mouth covered. Akamatsu mirrored that subconsciously. ‘When I asked him how he got injured, he didn't want to tell us! H-he had to make something up on the spot, I'm sure!’ the whisper grew frantic. 

‘I think he just struggled to remember…’ Akamatsu said hesitantly, shaking her head. Now she looked around as well, just in case. ‘How would he even know? He was probably attacked from behind…’

‘Maybe, but it's still suspicious…you know, I've read many detective stories, and I've never heard of something like that happening. Detectives are always on top of it, you know? They take precautions so as not to get attacked because they know they're inconvenient for the bad guys…so it almost seems to me like he did it on purpose o-or something. And I think he did it to himself to cover up the fact he set Gonta-kun up on Amami-kun,’ she claimed, her eyes growing wide with horror. She was sweating noticeably. 

‘Huh? How would he do that? And why?’ Akamatsu felt colour draining from her face. ‘Besides, Shirogane-san, he's not a fictional detective…and I don't think he has the experience most of them do, anyway…’

‘M-maybe he did it the day before. And then, at night, he set something up to knock himself out…maybe he even asked the mastermind to do it…or maybe the mastermind did it b-because they were afraid he'd reveal something...or-’

‘Shirogane-san,’ Akamatsu said firmly, interrupting the countdown of possibilities, ‘I don't think any of that is likely. It…it doesn't make any sense to me. He doesn't seem like he could do something like that.’

‘A corrupt detective is more dangerous than any other type of traitor,’ Shirogane said grimly, shuddering. ‘I simply think we should be careful.’

‘I won't suspect my friends! I don't think a traitor exists!’ Akamatsu protested, shaking her head. ‘It's all just aimless suspicions, and I refuse to entertain such a depressing thought! And you shouldn't either!’

‘That's your choice…but I guess you're right,’ Shirogane admitted, calming down slightly. ‘It's silly of me to suspect that, huh…’

‘It's not silly! I just don't think we should think about it right now. Let's just be glad he's back, right?’ Akamatsu said, desperate to hide the fact she was still very much thinking about it, and was probably not going to stop for the rest of the day. 

‘It's nice, isn't it,’ Shirogane said absentmindedly as they both entered the cafeteria. Akamatsu realised that she will have many things to ask Saihara about when she goes to visit him later. 

***

The reactions to the news of Saihara's recovery were varied, although mostly on the positive side, with the possible exception of the golden girl genius, Iruma Miu. 

‘See, Bakamatsu, I fuckin’ told ya,’ she said in fact, hovering over the table, picking out her favourite foods to eat alone in her own dorm so as not to have to interact with the rest of the group longer than she needed to, ‘I told ya he was gonna wake up before I finish the machine!’

‘Did you even start making it?’ Akamatsu asked, confused. She distinctly remembered that Iruma considered it, but, as far as she knew, that could mean anything. 

‘Of course not. That would be a waste of my precious time,’ Iruma explained, sprinting towards the door, cackling, with her hands full of food. Clearly, she had filled her gossip quota of the day. 

‘Did you find out what happened to him?’ Momota asked Akamatsu, resting his head upon his fist. He was the person who carried Saihara back to his room, so presumably he took the incident a bit more personally. 

‘He doesn't remember,’ Akamatsu said firmly, glancing at Shirogane, who was avoiding eye contact. ‘He says he was investigating and just blacked out. He wasn't even aware he's been asleep for so long. I think he's still not fully awake.’

‘He was investigating?’ Momota's eyes widened as he froze in his seat, with the fork stopped halfway towards his mouth. ‘So he actually decided to play detective?’

‘Momota-kun, he is a detective,’ Shirogane pointed out shyly, still not looking up from her plate. 

‘You know what I mean! Am I misremembering, or did he not wanna use his talent when we first met him? He didn't really seem to be proud of it or anything. I just wonder what changed, is all.’

‘That's a good point, actually,’ Hoshi agreed. ‘He seemed pretty uncomfortable with it, from what I recall.’

‘I...I think I can explain that,’ Akamatsu said hesitantly. ‘I had a talk with him about his talent. I told him that I believe it's really going to help us…’

‘And then he went and tried to use his talent to help us,’ Hoshi remarked, nodding his head. ‘I see. Well, that's admirable. Even if it was also unnecessarily risky.’

‘In the end, the intentions were good. Both yours and his,’ Momota said with a sigh. ‘But, you know what? I don't think the burden of investigation should lay on one person. We can all get better and find out how to leave this place! We should start after we eat! No time to slack off!’

‘That sounds dangerous,’ Hoshi warned, ‘I don't think we need any more concussions. But at the same time, sitting idly is not a good option, either...’

‘Y’know, you guys are so easily distracted,’ Ouma interrupted, ‘when there's more important stuff to talk about.’

‘What do you mean?’ Tenko asked suspiciously. ‘Is this more of your nonsense?’

‘I mean Monokuma’s gifts, of course,’ he said innocently. ‘What did you guys get? Anybody wanna trade?’

‘I think we all agreed not to open whatever it is that we get,’ Hoshi said, a hint of threat in his voice as he glanced at Ouma. 

‘Hmm…nope. I don't think we ever agreed to that. Anyway, c’mon, let's talk about it!’ Ouma insisted, grinning at Hoshi. 

‘Do we really have to?’ Shirogane asked with a sigh. 

‘I really don't think we should…’ Akamatsu whispered. She had nearly forgotten about the motive. Saihara's recovery had come at the most fortunate moment for her - it saved her from making the choice between opening the envelope and leaving it under her bed. She had to ask herself, though - would she have opened it if Angie and Toujou weren't at her door right then and there? She couldn't answer that, and frankly she didn't want to yet. Her eyes met Ouma's before she quickly looked away. 

‘I really don't get you guys,’ Ouma scolded, clicking his tongue. ‘You asked Monokuma to give it to you and now you ignore it? That's kind of rude.’

‘Did you check yours?’ Tenko asked suspiciously.

‘Do we really need to ask?’ Hoshi muttered. 

‘Duh!’ Ouma confirmed cheerfully. ‘I mean, maybe. Who knows. I'm not gonna tell you what I got, though,’ he teased, sticking his tongue out. 

‘I didn't open mine, but I looked under the bed,’ Akamatsu chimed in hesitantly, just to shut him up for a moment. ‘I found an envelope but I didn't check what's in it. All I noticed was that it was pretty thick, and it seemed like there's just paper inside.’

‘I see,’ Hoshi said hoarsely. ‘At least it's probably not a bomb. Which means we can safely ignore it.’

‘I assume it's something like compromising photos or whatever,’ Momota guessed, smirking. 

‘Tenko would never take such photos or look at them! Don't ever suggest that!’

‘Sorry, sorry!’ he apologised, waving his hands defensively. 

‘Maybe they're compromising photos of Monokuma,’ Ouma suggested. Shinguuji made a noise that sounded like a chuckle upon hearing that. 

‘You called?’ Monokuma said, appearing behind him. 

‘Ack, he's here!’ Shirogane shuddered. 

‘Eek!’ Tenko squeaked, jumping in her seat. 

‘What do you want, Monokuma?’ Akamatsu asked, sounding exhausted. 

‘What do I want? I want you all to get your shit together!’ Monokuma exclaimed, showing off his claws. ‘You lot are really, really testing my patience! I can't bear it anymore!’

‘What did we do?’ Shinguuji asked calmly. He seemed vaguely amused, but, as usual, it was hard to tell because of the mask.

‘Oh, you're still doing it! You're wasting my time is what you're doing! First you ask me to give you your memories, and then only half of you actually look at them? That's insulting! I won't stand for it!’

The students exchanged glances, some more hostile than others. 

‘Half of us…looked at them?’ Hoshi asked. 

‘More or less! And I could tell you who they are, but I won't! You make your own destiny, guys. If you ask, receive, and ignore, I might never do anything for you again! Maybe I'll just execute someone right now? Would you prefer that?’

‘What even is in the envelopes? Can you tell us that much?’ Akamatsu asked weakly. She was desperate to satisfy her curiosity without actually looking inside herself. 

‘Memories. Which you asked me for. What did you expect, a bomb?’ the bear grinned sarcastically. ‘I won't say anything more than that, see for yourselves! And remember that you can't talk about me behind my back with no consequences!’

And the bear disappeared once again, leaving behind silence of the baffled students. 

Yumeno, who had been quiet until then, sighed deeply, staring down at a plateful of food. Shirogane opened her mouth, preparing to ask what's wrong, but Hoshi stopped her, shaking his head. Tenko and Akamatsu exchanged glances. 

***

‘Angie-san, Chabashira-san, could I talk to you for a moment?’ Akamatsu called out, standing near the counter, when the breakfast was more or less over. She watched Toujou clean up the table nearby. 

‘What is it, Kaede?’ Angie tilted her head curiously.

‘Do you need anything, Akamatsu-san? Should Tenko flip someone for you? Just say a word!’

‘N-no! No! Nothing like that!’ Akamatsu protested. She took a deep breath and continued in a low whisper. ‘I was thinking about what Chabashira-san and I talked about yesterday. Since the music room opened I…I've been thinking about having some sort of a small concert to boost morale? It would distract us from the killing game and everything…’ as she said that, she noticed Yumeno leaving the room, her shoulders drooping. ‘And any other worries they might have.’

‘Oh, Angie thinks it's a wonderful idea! Especially now that Shuuichi is back!’ she chirped, clasping her hands. 

‘And Yumeno-san would enjoy it too, Tenko thinks…maybe it would help her express what she's feeling more easily when she hears beautiful music!’

‘Yeah, I thought about that…someone would have to carry Saihara-kun, but I think we can ask Momota-kun to do that, since he's done it once before. Angie-san, I was wondering if you'd want to sing, or maybe make decorations…’ Akamatsu blushed and cleared her throat. ‘I was impressed with your singing during the sleepover.’

‘Tenko agrees, it was beautiful!’

‘Angie would love to! Question, is this a secret, Kaede? And could Angie tell just one person about it? She thinks Korekiyo would enjoy helping to prepare the concert!’

‘I was thinking that it should be a surprise, but just one more person wouldn't hurt! I trust Shinguuji-kun's opinions, anyway,’ Akamatsu decided, nodding her head. She wondered if the plan would stay a secret between the three of them. ‘Should we have something like a rehearsal later today? I...I pretty much have the song ready, but I need to practice…I'll be ready tomorrow.’

‘Ooooh, were you already practicing for this when Angie heard you yesterday? Impressive! Angie thinks we should meet up in the music room at…’ she hesitated, ‘6pm maybe! That'll give us plenty of time to come up with ideas, and then we can put them alllll together! Between the four of us, we'll prepare the most beautiful concert!’

‘Tenko thinks that's a great idea,’ she nodded, ‘she'll see if she comes up with anything until then. Maybe…something to cheer Yumeno-san up in particular…’

‘Perfect!’ Akamatsu said cheerfully. ‘And when we put it all together, we will be ready to go tomorrow!’

‘Angie will seek inspiration from the tree, as always. It connects her to the universe, and to the emotions of the group,’ she informed calmly. ‘May God bless us with the best of ideas!’

***

Akamatsu decided that the best way to find inspiration would be to talk to some of her classmates. Perhaps she would find the missing note that would take the song from just decent to breathtaking and moving. She believed that if she could accomplish that, maybe Monokuma’s plans, whatever they were, would be busted. 

It was time to hang out with someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.strawpoll.me/17588792 <\- FTE poll, 2 options per person again. Toujou has dibs on the next one so she's not included, neither is Saihara who will get an entire 1-on-1 scene for himself regardless so it'd be kind of redundant to put it up as an option


	19. Chapter 2: Daily Life 5

Akamatsu made her way upstairs to the Chem Lab. She had been avoiding it for fear of accidentally knocking something over. The cabinets full of tiny bottles were still rather intimidating to her artistic soul.

Now, though, she was there to spend time with Toujou Kirumi, so the intimidation factor couldn't stop her.

'Toujou-san!' she called out to the maid, who had been polishing the glass of the cabinets. 'Do you have some time?'

'Hello, Akamatsu-san,' Toujou responded calmly with a nod. 'Yes, I do. I am almost done cleaning here. I shall accompany you shortly, if you wish.'

'Oh, it's okay, we can stay here, and I'll just wait until you're done. There's no rush at all. Oh, actually,' Akamatsu paused, reaching into the backpack as she sat down on one of the desks in the classroom. She then pulled a striped necktie out and handed it over with a bright smile. 'I brought you something! I thought it'd look good on you, so...'

'For me...?' Toujou looked at it in awe, blushing noticeably. 'I will never forget this, Akamatsu-san. Thank you.' Still looking at it, she sat down opposite her on one of the chars, resting her hands in her lap. 'I am finished now. Is there anything you need from me, Akamatsu-san?'

'Oh, I just wanted to talk,' Akamatsu explained, waving her hand dismissively. 'I've been kind of wondering about your past employers. I can't help being curious, I guess...'

'I see,' Toujou murmured, tapping her finger on her chin. 'Obviously, you must be aware that the identities of my clients are confidential. However, I can try to describe them without giving away their identities.'

'Ah, of course, don't tell me anything that's a secret!' Akamatsu assured, mildly panicked. 'I'm sorry if I seem nosy, don't feel like you have to satisfy my curiosity or anything.'

'No, it is alright, I will do my best to satisfy you. As far as I remember...the last client I had before we arrived here was an author. If I remember correctly, he favoured light novels. Of course, I cannot guarantee that was indeed my last client, since I don't know how much of my memory is missing. It has been worrying me, in fact.'

'Oh, that's right...perhaps you are technically employed by a totally different person right now, huh? Someone you don't even remember... That's a scary thought.' Akamatsu shuddered. 'Anyway, that's neat. A light novel author...is it someone I might have heard of?'

'Again, I cannot give away confidential information, but I believe it is possible. I don't think I'm equipped to judge the quality of his work, but he was certainly a prolific author. He had many ideas, but had trouble writing all of them. He ended up asking me for advice and, after listening to me, he became able to finish one novel per month. He was quite grateful.'

'Wow, one per month? That's amazing!' Akamatsu clasped her hands. 'Then again, it's not that surprising, since you're so amazing!'

'You flatter me, Akamatsu-san.' Toujou smiled softly. 'The truth is, what's amazing is not me. It's the abilities I sense in others. My duty is simply to help them fulfill their potential. The light novel author simply had skills he didn't know how to utilize. Once I steered him in the right direction, he prospered.'

'So, what you're saying is that you see whether people have the potential for greatness or not?' Akamatsu's eyes widened. 'And if they do...you help them fulfill it?'

'Yes,' she confirmed, nodding. 'All of my employers had that potential, not just the author. I also used to serve successful politicians and businessmen, ever since I was...a young girl.' She hesitated.  
'I simply complete requests as a maid should. Which means that if I serve you, you will also be successful.'

'Even me?' Akamatsu pointed at herself, surprised.

'Of course. You have amazing potential, Akamatsu-san, not only as a pianist, but as a leader. I have noticed it from the start. Yes...' she said softly, 'just like everyone I've served in the past, you are admirable. If I support you, you might become even more successful.'

'Now you're flattering me!' Akamatsu pointed out, chuckling. 'I don't think I'm all that great, you know? I just try my best. Besides,' she added with an awkward smile, 'I don't think you would need to serve me in order to support me.'

'I'm not sure I follow,' Toujou said, tilting her head.

'Remember that advice you gave me about writing down song ideas? It really helped me! Thanks to that, I have stuff to play now that I have a piano here. And you told me that even though I'm not your employer or anything.'

'I suppose that's true. However, even if I am not currently employed, it is still my duty to serve others. This time, though, I am not getting paid for it,' she added. Akamatsu chuckled.

'Hey,' she asked suddenly, 'do you think all of us have that potential you were talking about? I can't imagine it's just me, I mean. We all have talents and all that.'

'Of course, all of you are extremely talented individuals with...varying levels of potential.' Toujou cleared her throat. 'It's an honour to serve under you and everyone else, Akamatsu-san,' she assured.

'I see. That makes sense,' Akamatsu admitted. She couldn't help but remember the time Toujou was tricked into playing hide and seek with Ouma. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what his potential was about. 'I'm glad you're here with us. Not as our maid, but as a friend, you know? Although, you are a great maid. I see why all of your employers relied on you so much!'

'Friend?' Toujou's eyes widened ever so slightly.

'Yeah, of course you're my friend. All of us are friends here, you know?'

'Well...' Toujou covered her mouth. 'Nobody has ever called me their friend before.'

Akamatsu smiled brightly at her, grabbing one of her hands. 'Well, there's a first time for everything, right? Anyway, I don't want to take more of your time, you're always so busy...I'll see you later, Toujou-san! By the way, could I borrow Saihara-kun's key I'll give it back later today!'

Toujou reached into her pocket and took out the key. 'Of course, Akamatsu-san. You can find me in my room this afternoon. I'm planning to start knitting a scarf forr Kiibo-kun.'

***

Unsurprisingly, she found Shinguuji in the library, where he was studying some old book.

'Hello, Akamatsu-san,' he greeted her calmly, looking away from the book. 'Do you need something from me?'

'I just want to talk to you, haha,' Akamatsu admitted, taking something out of her backpack. It was a Semazen Doll, which she handed over to him. 'I thought you might like this, by the way...'

'Oh, my,' he gasped, examining it closely. 'That's amazing, Akamatsu-san. I'll treasure it. Thank you very much.'

'So,' Akamatsu prompted, sitting down beside him, 'did Angie-san tell you about...'

'About the performance you're planning, yes. I'm very interested in the idea, admittedly.'

'Are you interested in music, Shinguuji-kun?' Akamatsu asked. 'Well, I assume it's kind of connected to your field of study, but...'

'Oh, of course.' He nodded. 'Music is an important aspect of anthropology, ethnology, and similar fields of study. I'm not sure if your idea of the music I'm thinking of is accurate, though.'

'Oh?' Akamatsu hesitated. 'I was imagining something along the lines of folk music? You know, like traditional Japanese court music, played on instruments such as koto or shamisen. That's my first thought.'

'You're correct in your description of traditional Japanese music, and you are on the right track by bringing it up. Folk music is indeed what I'm thinking of, but it's a different kind than court music.'

'Different? What do you mean, then?' She leaned forward curiously. He cleared his throat in preparation.

'It's a complicated distinction, admittedly, but I will try to explain it as best as I can. The music that I research is not the kind crafted by professional musicians and composers. It's more along the lines of, say, lullabies, nursery rhymes, songs passed from generation to generation. Music commemorating certain events, songs accompanying rituals. Things of that sort.'

'Oh, I see,' Akamatsu said with a nod. 'I get what you mean, I think. It's a distinction that's hard to put into words, but once you put it like this, it's pretty obvious.'

'Yes. I'm glad you understand. Many lullabies and nursery rhymes have hidden meanings that have been lost and forgotten over the years. I and others like me work to discover them, you see. Most people wouldn't notice them.'

'That's so cool, honestly. Although, I bet some of the hidden layers are kind of sinister...'

'Are you thinking back to our convesation about death? Yes, yes, sometimes they are like that. It doesn't affect me, personally.'

'Yeah, I imagine you've seen a lot, so you aren't bothered by the stuff I might find scary... Anyway, this whole thing reminds me,' she changed the topic, 'when Angie-san and I had the sleepover with Chabashira-san and Yumeno-san, she sang us a lullaby. Would that count as a part of your field, then?'

'She did?' He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes curiously. 'I'd be interested to hear more about it.'

'Well, it successfully put me to sleep...' she admitted with an awkward smile. 'It was rally pretty, but it was not in Japanese, so I didn't understand the lyrics. I'm just pretty sure it was some sort of a traditional lullaby, but that's just an assumption.'

'I will definitely have to ask her about that, thank you. It's interesting that, no mater the culture, such music exists, isn't it? We all pass certain songs down from generation to generation, and they survive for centuries. That's why I'm so fascinated by this type of music in particular.'

'It just shows how music has always been with us, I think. Humanity needs music to express certain things,, so it's always been around...'

'Music is intertwined with our daily lives and has been for longer than we can imagine...it really is an interesting phenomenon. It seems like a simple observation, but it is quite profound, don't you think?'

'For sure,' Akamatsu agreed, nodding. 'It just makes me wonder...' She paused, sighing.

'Hm?' He tilted his head. 'What's on your mind, Akamatsu-san? If I may ask, of course.'

'I'm just not sure if...if my own music has such an impact. I just play the piano, you know? Most of the songs I play aren't my own, I just recreate what others composed years ago. I don't think it's that big a deal...'

'Akamatsu-san,' Shinguuji said softly, 'I assure you that you don't need to worry. I've heard you play yesterday, and I can assure you that I was moved by the song. You will do just fine and make an impact. Your music will motivate everyone around you to work together.'

'Do you think we'll get out of here?' she asked weakly, looking up at him.

He hesitated. 'I believe it's possible, eventually. Don't give up on that thought.'

She smiled faintly. 'Thanks. Sorry for being so down all of a sudden. I bet you miss travelling for your research, too. And...other things, of course, I assume.'

He looked down at the table and tapped his fingers on the surface. 'Yes. There certainly are things I miss. Oh, Akamatsu-san,' he said, noticing that she seemed concerned. 'I covered up the skeleton in the Bio Lab for you. Hopefully it won't make you uneasy anymore.'

Akamatsu's jaw dropped a bit. 'That's so thoughtful of you. Thanks. Ouma-kun made me sit next to it earlier.'

Shinguuji cleared his throat. 'That's awful,' he remarked diplomatically, nodding his head.

***

Her next stop was at Angie's doorstep. She rang the doorbell and waited. After about a minute, the door opened.

'Oh, hi, Kaede! We still have time before the meeting, right?' She tilted her head in confusion.

'Yeah, plenty of time. That's not why I'm here, though!' Akamatsu clarified. 'I just wanted to hang out. You know, casually,' she added awkwardly. 'I have something for you,' she then said, handing her a teddy bear.'

'Oh! You just want to talk to Angie!' Realisation lit up her face. She smiled brightly, looking down at the toy. She hugged it tightly. 'Come on in, then! Thank you so very much!'

Akamatsu entered the room. Memories of the sleepover rushed through her head, even though the futons and Yumeno's cards were long gone from here. She tensed up. None of them saw the murder coming back then. They just wanted to have fun.

'You know, Kaede,' Angie prompted, 'Angie was wondering about something...especially now that she's going to get to watch you play.'

'Oh, sure. Ask me anything you want,' Akamatsu offered, sitting down on the chair.

'See, Angie can't help but feel fascinated by you, as a fellow artist. We're similar in a way, don't you think?' she asked, leaning towards her, borderline invading her personal space.

'I guess you could put it like that,' Akamatsu admitted cautiously, moving back a bit. She had no idea where the conversation was going.

'Angie thinks it was fate that we met here,' she confessed. 'Angie's never met anyone like you! Do you believe in fate, Kaede?'

'I think you make your own fate,' Akamatsu answered confidently. Angie moved back a bit.

'That's an interesting answer. Angie thinks it could be heretical under certain circumstances, but she didn't expect anything less from you. Ok, ok, so here's the other question Angie has for you,' she added, bouncing on her feet excitedly. 'So! When Angie is drawing something, or sculpting something, she can feel god's energy inspiring and running through her. As she mentioned once before, she feels connected to the universe, you know! And since you don't feel that connection...Angie has been wondering what you do feel when you play the piano!'

'Oh,' Akamatsu exhaled sharply. 'I don't think I feel anything in particular, energy-wise.'

'Eeeeeeeeeh? Really, nothing at all? You don't feel godly inspiration or anything like it?' Angie was shocked, but kept bouncing on her feet.

'No, not really. I kind of just...play whatever I'm supposed to, you know? I interpret the piece in my own way, of course. I guess that does feel pretty nice, though, if that counts.'

'So, what you're saying is that you just...do it on your own, and don't feel anything inside you when you play?' Angie was baffled.

'Well, not quite...I really enjoy playing the piano, you know? Touching the keys makes me feel safe, like that's where I belong...that's what I'm supposed to be doing. And when I see the smiles on the faces of people in the audience? That's the best feeling ever! It makes me feel all warm inside. I just don't think any god has anything to do with it.'

'Ah! Angie gets it!' She clapped her hands and smiled widely. 'Angie thinks that god is working through you and you just don't realise it, because you're focused on playing your music for the audience. You might be a vessel, just like Angie!'

'I'm not sure about that, but I can't really disprove it or anything, I guess...I just play my music in my own way and don't think about much else. It makes myself and others happy, and that's what matters the most to me...but maybe it makes your god happy, too.'

'You're so strange, Kaede,' Angie remarked, chuckling.

'How so?' she asked nervously.

'If you put your trust in God, he would enhance your performance. Angie finds his help super...helpful! She could never make such pretty art without him.'

'I disagree with that. I think the art you make is good because you make it. Because you are talented,' Akamatsu insisted. 'Whether there's a god or not, you continue to make amazing art. You need to give yourself more credit.'

'Angie doesn't deserve credit,' she said firmly, shaking her head. 'She's just a vessel, after all. She should be glad that go granted her the privilege of being one.'

'It's still your hands creating the art,' Akamatsu insisted, 'and I don't think everyone could do it as well as you do. You're a wonderful artist! Be proud of yourself!'

Angie looked at her own feet with a faint smile. She had trouble deciding what to say in response. Akamatsu watched her silently.

'Angie appreciates the compliment, even though it is blasphemous. However, she really doesn't need a confidence boost right now. Humility is a virtue, and we need to remember how insignificant we all are!'

'I guess, if that's the way you see it...' Akamatsu said meekly, giving up. 'As long as you're happy with that.'

'Oh, totally! And if you're happy without acknowledging God, there's nothing Angie can do, either!' Angie said with a subtle hint of disappointment. 'Oh, well. Angie wants to work on her plans for the performance now, so she'll see you then, right?'

'Oh, yeah. We still have some time till then,' Akamatsu went towards the door. 'So, uh..see you?'

'Bye-nara!' Angie exclaimed, closing the door behind her.

***

After parting ways with Angie, Akamatsu realised she had enough time to check on Saihara. She reached into the pocket where she kept the key she had borrowed from Toujou. It was time - she had about an hour to kill. She exhaled deeply. 

As she went to open the door, slowly and carefully inserting the key, another door opened somewhere behind her. She turned around curiously, and saw Harukawa leaving her room. She gulped. 

‘Good afternoon, Harukawa-san,’ she greeted cheerfully. Harukawa glanced at her impatiently, as if she was distracting her from something important. 

‘...Afternoon,’ she muttered back at last. She was clearly taken aback by the attention. 

Akamatsu watched as she walked away in silence. As always, she felt the urge to talk to the other girl more, but felt somewhat intimidated. She shook her head and finally opened Saihara's door. 

He was awake, and perked up slightly when he saw her. She closed the door and walked towards his bed. 

‘Good afternoon, Saihara-kun. How are you doing?’ she asked, sitting down on the chair by his desk. His eyes followed her movements closely. 

‘I'm better,’ he admitted. His voice sounded less weak than the last time she saw him. ‘Toujou-san’s been taking care of me, and some people visited me briefly before I fell back asleep…Iruma-san gave me a device with a button I can press if I need something, but she didn't really explain it in detail, so I don't even know who it's going to notify.’

‘That's good to hear,’ she said, smiling weakly. She didn't know what to make of Iruma preparing something to help the Saihara situation in the end, but she was relieved. She made a mental note to talk to her as soon as she can. ‘Has anybody told you what happened while you were asleep?’

‘No, not really,’ he admitted, watching her carefully. ‘I fell asleep right after I finished eating, so the people who came didn't get to talk much…did something happen?’

‘Well, a lot of things…’

‘Akamatsu-san, you don't need to be vague with me, okay? I think I can handle whatever it is…’ he said, but his expression betrayed utter lack of confidence. 

‘Okay,’ she said quickly, ‘there was a murder and we held a trial. It happened on the night after we found you on the floor.’

Beads of sweat formed on his pale face. ‘Akamatsu-san…you need to tell me exactly what happened. That's important. Please?’

‘I wasn't planning on keeping it a secret from you forever… Amami-kun killed Gonta-kun, who was trying to murder him.’ She had hoped that saying these words in one go would hurt less, but she still felt like something stabbed her in the heart. 

‘Amami-kun? Gonta-kun? Really?’ Saihara knit his eyebrows. ‘I can't picture either of them committing murder…’

‘Neither could I, but it's true. According to Monokuma, that was the correct verdict. As I understand, according to what Amami-kun said before he was executed, Gonta-kun was talked into attacking him by someone…one of us…’

‘Oh,’ Saihara exhaled sharply. ‘That makes more sense. No idea who did it, I assume?’

‘Nope, other than Ouma-kun jokingly claiming it was him…he really wants me to believe it for some reason.’

‘I wouldn't put it past him,’ Saihara admitted. ‘He seems like the kind of person who would do it for the hell of it…’

‘I see where you're coming from, but I don't think it was him. He was actually pretty helpful during the trial.’

‘Ouma-kun, helpful?’ Saihara's eyebrows raised up to his hairline.

‘Yeah, he provided the testimony that helped us solve the case. He was pretty cryptic about it at first, but in the end he helped a lot.’ She realised that she was all too eager to defend him despite his constant odd behaviour, and she still had no idea why she believed in him at all. That was not something to worry about at that moment, though. 

‘I find it hard to believe,’ Saihara admitted, closing his eyes. ‘I don't know him that well, but he doesn't seem helpful in any way.’

‘I think he just doesn't want to make it too easy for us,’ she mused, ‘but he's not a bad guy. He's just really childish.’

‘I guess...I have to trust your judgement on this,’ he admitted reluctantly. ‘All that matters is that you solved the case.’

‘Yeah. We did,’ she said in a hollow voice, biting her lip. ‘I think that now I understand what you meant earlier.’ Noticing his confused gaze, she elaborated. ‘It wasn't easy to come to terms with the fact Amami-kun was the killer…and a part of me really didn't want to vote for him. But I had to, because if I didn't, we would all die…’

They sat in silence for a while. He looked down at his hands. She stared at the floor. 

‘Saihara-kun,’ she said firmly, ‘do you really not remember anything about your incident?’

‘Nothing helpful, I think…’ he admitted apologetically. ‘I went out to investigate and ended up blacking out. Then I woke up here. That's all I know. Obviously, I have no idea who did it.’

‘Did you feel pain when you blacked out?’

‘I think so, but maybe it was the pain of hitting the floor…’

‘Do you remember where you got hit? Was it the library?’

‘I don't think so…but it was in that general area…maybe it was the library after all…’

Akamatsu bit her lip so hard it bled, a single drop of blood running down her chin. 

‘Saihara-kun. Did you go out because of our conversation?’ she asked firmly. He avoided eye contact. 

‘Partially,’ he admitted hesitantly. ‘It made me think…and you were right. I should be using my talent to help us escape and investigate. I can't hide from it.’

‘But it almost got you killed,’ she reminded sharply. 

‘That's not necessarily true…maybe whoever did it just wanted to give me some sort of a warning. Or use me as a warning for you…’ he paused and briefly glanced at her. ‘It's not against the rules to investigate. Killing me for that wouldn't be fair.’

‘I still feel like I put you in danger,’ she said softly. 

‘It was my own choice, Akamatsu-san. It's not your responsibility, okay? And I think…once I get better, I will try again. That's my duty, you know?’

A faint smile danced on Akamatsu’s lips. ‘You've changed a lot, Saihara-kun. I guess I can't stop you, since I'm the one who encouraged you in the first place. Just…please be careful, okay?’

‘I'm very careful, Akamatsu-san. After all, I'm in a vulnerable position, so I have to be vigilant. I might be able to walk again soon, I hope. I'm still too weak…’

‘Well, you should focus on getting better, and I'll handle things on the outside,’ she said encouragingly. ‘We're planning something for tomorrow and I'll make sure you can attend it. We'll carry you if we have to!’

‘That sounds good,’ he smiled weakly, ‘I'll look forward to it.’

‘I have to go now,’ Akamatsu confessed, getting up, ‘there's somewhere I have to be. I'll talk to you later. Take care, Saihara-kun!’

He watched carefully as she left the room. 

***

Akamatsu made her way towards the music room, desperate not to be late. Something told her that Angie wouldn't appreciate tardiness. Luckily, she still had about five minutes until 6am.

When she arrived there, she noticed that Angie was already waiting, standing beside the piano. 

‘Ah, Kaede, you're early!’ she chirped, clasping her hands. ‘Hopefully Korekiyo and Tenko get here soon, too!’

‘Probably.’ Akamatsu nodded. A few seconds later, Tenko entered the room, waving at both of them shyly. 

‘Ah, Tenko isn't late, is she?’ she asked, fiddling her fingers. She seemed nervous about something, but Akamatsu couldn't begin to imagine what. 

‘Nope, you're right on time! Korekiyo might be late, though! Angie will have to lecture him if that's the case.’ The threat it her voice was most likely a joke, but Akamatsu still shuddered. 

That's when Shinguuji entered the room and immediately closed the door behind himself. He bowed his head apologetically. 

‘I barely made it. In my defence, I found a fascinating book that I simply couldn't let go of.’

‘That's fine, at least we're all together now!’ Angie assured benevolently. 

‘So, should we start now? I think I have the least to say here, since I'm just going to play the piano,’ Akamatsu remarked, smiling awkwardly. 

‘You're the centre of the performance, Kaede, of course it matters what you think!’ Angie insisted sitting beside her. ‘Angie now knows what she's going to do, too.’

‘Oh, let's hear it!’ Akamatsu encouraged, smiling at her. 

‘Angie found some clay in the warehouse,’ she explained, ‘so she thought it might be a good idea to make clay figures of everyone. She made one of herself to test it out, so…’ Having said that, she revealed what she had been holding in her hand - a clay sculpture, about three inches tall, of herself. Despite its small size, it was her perfect likeness. 

‘Whoa! That's amazing!’ Akamatsu gasped in awe. 

‘It looks just like you!’ Tenko exclaimed. 

‘Could I hold it for a moment?’ Shinguuji asked. ‘I'd like to look at it up close, if that's alright with you.’

‘Okay,’ she agreed, handing it over, ‘but be very careful! If you break it, Angie will break your spine! Nyahaha, just kidding!’

He examined it carefully and handed it back just as carefully, nodding his head. ‘Impressive work,’ he added. Despite the mask covering his face, his eyes betrayed that he was smiling. 

‘Are you really planning to make them for everyone?’ Tenko asked, looking at Angie curiously. 

‘Of course! Angie's not going to leave anyone out! Why?’ she asked, tilting her head. 

‘That just sounds like a lot of work…but Tenko will be impressed if you succeed!’ she looked down at her feet. ‘And Tenko was thinking that you could make Yumeno-san’s extra nice…since she's been feeling down lately…,’ she added under her breath. 

‘I think this is a great idea, Angie-san,’ Akamatsu assured. ‘We could display them on my piano while I'm playing!’

‘That's what Angie was thinking!’ She clapped cheerfully. ‘It will symbolise all of us working together to the sound of your music, yes? Since you've been doing so much to motivate us!’

Akamatsu wondered if that was true as of late. She realised that ever since the music room opened, her campaign for working together to get out of the school had died down considerably. She smiled weakly. 

‘You've been doing a lot yourself, Angie-san,’ she insisted cautiously. ‘So, I think it's more of a symbol of us working together, yeah?’

‘That's an excellent point, Kaede,’ Angie agreed immediately. ‘Thanks to this performance, everyone will get over their fears and live together peacefully!’

‘...I was thinking that we'd work together towards trying to leave this school…’ Akamatsu clarified firmly. ‘We can't stay here forever. I just hope that the performance will boost morale, which we need in order to accomplish that.’

‘Hmmm?’ Angie turned towards her with a wide yet unsettling smile. ‘Kaede, that's silly. How do you plan to leave without an exit? We still haven't found it, remember? The only way to leave right now is to commit murder, like Monokuma said…and Angie doesn't think that's what you want, is it?’

‘N-no, I mean…’ she gulped. ‘We got here somehow, right? The exit has to exist, it's just hidden…so we can still try to find it.’

‘Angie doesn't think that's very productive,’ she retorted calmly, ‘it might be on an entirely different floor, you know? It's better to just stay here together. Besides, we are here for a reason. There's no point in fighting that fate.’

Akamatsu was going to say something, but she was interrupted by Shinguuji. 

‘Both of those ideas are noble, but it's true that we haven't been able to locate the exit. It's just my view, but it might be wiser to encourage the group to adapt and coexist, instead of risking that someone might commit murder because they want to get out at all costs.’

‘That's right!’ Angie chirped, throwing her hands up in the air. ‘We have everything we need anyway, right? There's no point in rejecting it.’

Akamatsu looked towards Tenko, who was still fiddling her fingers. 

‘Tenko thinks that we should definitely think about ways to escape…but it doesn't seem like an option right now,’ she admitted reluctantly. ‘We can't risk anyone committing another murder…’

Akamatsu found herself in the minority. She was forced to choose between clarifying what she meant and risking an argument, and simply cooperating. The intentions were noble, after all. 

She knew that there was a difference between wanting to get out so badly that you'd commit murder, and investigating the school in order to try finding the exit. However, she also knew that the group has already witnessed a murder, and that earlier she herself argued that Saihara should quit his investigation for the sake of safety. The nuance of the situation was clear - but what kind of leader was she if she couldn't make decisions despite that? She bit her lip. 

‘Fine, I guess we can put that off…if you think it's the safer option,’ she said with a crooked smile. She hated to go for this compromise, but, she realised, she can just investigate on her own after the performance. Nobody else needed to take the risk, right? 

‘What are you planning to play, Kaede?’ Angie asked innocently, changing the topic. ‘The song that Angie and Korekiyo heard you play? It was so pretty!’

‘Ah, yeah, that's the one. It's really a mashup of two songs I like. I thought it would work. Do you think it's the kind of sound we're going for?’

‘Oh, absolutely!’ Angie assured. ‘It's perfect. What do you think, Tenko? Have you heard it?’

‘Tenko hasn't,’ she admitted, shaking her head. ‘Could she hear it now?’ she asked shyly. 

‘Of course, I'll play it for you!’ Akamatsu offered. And so, she did.

‘That was amazing, Akamatsu-san!’ Tenko exclaimed when it was over. ‘She thinks everyone is going to love it!’

‘Actually, Tenko,’ Angie said suddenly, ‘do you have any ideas of your own?’

‘Oh, um…’ Tenko blushed immediately. ‘Well…Tenko has an idea, yes, but she would rather not say what it is exactly. She has an announcement of sorts to make, perhaps after Akamatsu-san’s song is over…’

Akamatsu’s heart leapt. It was only a feeling, but she was sure that she knew what Tenko's announcement might be. She smiled encouragingly. 

‘Angie thinks that's okay, as long as Kaede is okay with it!’

‘Of course I am!’ Akamatsu assured eagerly. ‘I think it's going to tie in nicely. So, now we know what we want to do, yeah?’

‘Yup, yup, seems so!’ Angie nodded, bouncing on her feet. ‘Now Angie just needs to make the rest of the sculptures and we'll be set! Do you think we could do it after breakfast tomorrow?’

‘Sounds good. So, around 11am or noon? To give ourselves time to prepare in case we need it?’

‘That should be fine! Angie will let everyone know to show up when she checks on them in the morning, but she won't spoil the surprise!’

‘That sounds perfect,’ Shinguuji agreed, nodding. ‘Shall we call it a meeting, then?’

‘Yeah, I'll just stay here and rehearse,’ Akamatsu informed. 

***

She practiced until the nighttime hit, when she made her way back to her room. She was tired, but hopeful. On her way to bed, she returned the key to Toujou.

She went to bed immediately, but couldn't sleep. She was nervous. She had been nervous about performances before, but rarely to this degree. She was going to be watched by an audience which definitely contained someone who was actively working against her. 

In that case, she thought, she should prepare an announcement for them, just like Tenko, but with radically different contents. She smiled weakly. For the first time in her life, she was going to be punk rock. 

And then, she fell asleep. 

***

MONOKUMA THEATER:

You know, detectives are really weird. 

They don't really seem like real people, don't they? 

Have you ever met an actual detective in your life? Probably not. 

I have, once. They acted like they had a huge stick up their ass. 

No sense of humour whatsoever! Really didn't know how to have fun. 

They were investigating a murder or something, and I suspected that they were actually the murderer. 

Nobody believed me, but is that really so farfetched? I mean, they always show up where the murders are. Isn't it suspicious? 

It's like, where there's a murder, there's a detective. We think the murder comes first, but what if it's the other way around?

Anyway, I think they should stick to being fictional. They're more fun that way. 

THE END.

***

Yumeno Himiko opened her eyes, closed them, and opened them again. She couldn't sleep at all. 

She sat up on her bed, slowly. She felt alone, and that was the last thing she needed on a sleepless night. But could she count on anyone to want to talk to her right now? 

She got out of bed and walked out the door. She decided that she might as well try. Maybe she would even talk about…that.

She considered three options. She didn't really have anything else. 

She could talk to Akamatsu. She looked at her door, and eventually shook her head. She knew, deep in her heart, that Akamatsu would yell at her. She would call her concern ridiculous, and tell her to take care of herself. As if she doesn't know. 

What about Tenko? Yumeno put her hand up to her chest. She liked Tenko, but she had to admit that she found her overwhelming. She could already feel that she would deliver another lecture about expressing your emotions. She scrunched her nose. She knew for a fact that it wouldn't help to be pressured into anything. Everything in her resisted that pressure. 

That left Angie. Angie is going to understand. 

Yumeno rang the doorbell and waited. There was a high chance that Angie wasn't going to hear and answer. In fact, she realised, she was going to be kind of a bother if Angie did answer. 

She was about to go back to her room when Angie's door opened. She saw Yumeno and quietly gestured at her to come inside. 

‘Himiko, what happened? It's late, why aren't you asleep?’ she asked, concerned. 

‘I couldn't sleep,’ Yumeno answered simply, ‘I was wondering if I could stay with you for tonight.’

‘Of course,’ Angie agreed immediately. ‘Angie will keep you safe from all night terrors!’

She made space for Yumeno in her bed. They lied back to back for a few minutes. Yumeno's hands curled up into fists as she bit her lips.

‘Angie, can I tell you something?’ she whispered half-consciously. 

Angie turned towards her. ‘Of course, Angie is here to listen.’

And Yumeno, stuttering and stumbling over her words, told Angie about’ that’.


	20. Chapter 2: Daily Life 6

Akamatsu was woken up by the doorbell. She quickly got out of bed and went to answer the door, not wasting any time to brush her hair or get dressed.

'Good morning!' Angie exclaimed when Akamatsu sleepily opened the door. 'Kaede, you just woke up?' she asked, tilting her head. Akamatsu nodded, slightly embarrassed.

'Yeah, sorry that I'm not really presentable,' she admitted, rubbing her eyes with a groan. 'Did something happen?' she asked, suddenly nervous.

Angie shook her head. 'Nope! Everything is fine and dandy, nyahaha! Angie's just doing her best to make sure everyone's awake and okay, you know? Oh, but!' She remembered, pointing her finger up. 'Angie thought you might want to check on Shuuichi! Kirumi went to get his breakfast, so Angie borrowed the key for now.'

'Oh, sure!' Akamatsu nodded. 'Just let me prepare a little, okay?'

'Oh, of course,' Angie agreed. 'Angie will just wait for you in the hall!'

Akamatsu quickly got dressed and brushed her hair with her fingers, looking at herself in the mirror critically. She figured that, all things considered, she looked decent enough.

Akamatsu entered Saihara's room with more genuine confidence than last time. Angie stayed by the door, waiting for Toujou to arrive with the usual tray of food. She remained silent, simply smiling her usual bright smile, looking out at the hall. 

Saihara himself still looked exceptionally pale and weak, but definitely more awake than when she saw him the morning before, despite the still prominent bags under his eyes. Akamatsu smiled at him, forcing herself to hide her nervousness. 

‘How are you feeling?’ she asked cautiously. He looked at the ceiling, trying to put his feeling into words. She waited patiently, sitting on the edge of the bed. It felt more comfortable than looking down at him from the height of the desk chair. 

‘Well… Better. I think so at least. I don't think I've ever felt more disoriented than yesterday, so I can only improve,’ he said finally. His raspy voice didn't inspire confidence, but it sounded much better than before, to her relief. ‘I'm still weak, though. I nap after every meal,’ he admitted sheepishly. ‘I'll probably have to take a nap before the thing you're planning...but I'm excited for it. I just don't want to fall asleep during, haha.’ He smiled apologetically, swiping his hair out of his eye. 

‘Of course! Take all the rest you need,’ Akamatsu said softly but firmly. All things considered, experience taught her that that was the best way to talk to him. ‘The last thing we need is you straining yourself, you know.’

‘I know…but at the same time, I feel kind of useless like this. I just can't wait to be back to full health already, you know? What good am I when I can't even move and investigate for everyone's sake… I guess complaining about it won't help, though,’ he added with a faint smile, catching himself doing exactly that. 

‘That's right, it won't!’ she agreed, pointing her finger at him, jokingly but emphatically. ‘Nothing good comes out of feeling sorry for yourself. I'm just,’ she paused, emphatically grabbing his hand, ‘I'm glad you're back. Since Amami-kun’s been gone…I really feel like I've been lacking the presence and support of someone less intense than most of our classmates. It's nice to have a more normal person around, you know?’

‘Thanks…?’ he smiled awkwardly, glancing at her hand. It didn't feel uncomfortable, but he wasn't sure what to make of it, exactly. One thing was for sure - his hand was much colder than hers.

‘I don't mean anything bad by that description,’ she clarified, removing her hand from his and waving it apologetically. ‘Everyone is so… dramatic is all. Eccentric may be the best word,’ she added. The memory of her conversation came back and hit her full force. She really did miss talking to people who weren't overwhelming forces of personality - and Saihara was as far from that description as possible. She smiled softly. Nobody wanted to hear they're ‘normal’, unremarkable…but there was something comforting about it sometimes, she discovered. Perhaps it should be taken as a compliment in this group of eccentric geniuses. She glanced back at Angie, who was now waving out the door - signalling that Toujou was coming, she assumed. 

‘Oh, by the way,’ she prompted, remembering something that had been on the back of her mind, ‘…did you find out more about the device Iruma-san gave you?’ She glanced at the nightstand. What she assumed was the device was laid there, a small tablet-shaped piece of metal with a button in the middle. It looked completely unremarkable. She resisted the urge to push the button with all the willpower she had left. 

‘Ah, I haven't really used it. Toujou-san somehow always knows when I need her…maid's instinct, I guess, ’ he informed, glancing at it. Angie, opening the door wide, looked back at it too with moderate curiosity. 

‘She's amazing,’ Akamatsu said, sighing dreamily. The more she learned about the maid, the more impressive she seemed. ‘Well, I'll still ask Iruma-san about it. I have a weird feeling about the device for some reason...’ Akamatsu recalled all the other inventions Iruma had shown her, particularly the X-ray visor. The emerging pattern wasn't encouraging, and she wouldn't be surprised if there was a catch here, too. She shuddered and cleared her throat. 

At that moment, Toujou walked into the bedroom, holding a tray. She set it down on the bed, bowing. 

‘That might be a good idea,’ Saihara admitted, in response to Akamatsu’s previous line. ‘Iruma-san kind of scares me, so I didn't have the guts to ask her myself…’

‘Yeah I understand that…’ Akamatsu admitted. Toujou glanced at her with confusion, prompting her to explain. ‘Toujou-san, we were talking about Iruma-san’s device that Saihara-kun can use to call us if he needs something. Have you heard anything about it? I thought it would make the most sense if you had whatever it sends the signal to…if I understand how it works, but Saihara-kun says you don't really need it.’

‘No, I have not heard anything about it. Do you think I should retrieve it from Iruma-san, assuming she has it?’ Toujou asked, concerned. 

‘I think it's fine,’ Saihara assured, ‘as long as someone has it, they can let you know that I called...but I should be up and walking soon anyway, so I don't really need it.’ He smiled with the most confidence Akamatsu had ever seen from him. 

‘Understood,’ Toujou responded, bowing her head. ‘Then, we should leave you to have breakfast in peace,’ she added, walking towards the door where Angie was waiting, bouncing on her feet. ‘I must continue preparing food for everyone else now.’

‘Someone will come pick you up for the event,’ Akamatsu informed him, following the other girls into the hall, where Angie gave Toujou the key back, smiling innocently. Akamatsu waved her hand at Saihara happily, and closed the door. 

***

Giving Toujou some time to prepare breakfast, she decided to visit Iruma and ask the question. She rang the doorbell and waited patiently. 

The door opened, revealing Iruma's annoyed face. Akamatsu didn't expect anything else from her at that hour. 

‘I'm awake, what the fuck else do you w- Oh, Bakamatsu,’ she corrected herself, noticeably less annoyed for some reason, unknown to Akamatsu. ‘I thought it's the curfew bitch again. What do you want? Shouldn't you be at your shitty hippie breakfast?’ she clicked her tongue disapprovingly. 

‘I'll go there in a second,’ Akamatsu informed, waving her hands, ‘I just have a very important question for you.’

‘Ohoho? Are ya proposin’? Cuz the answer is solid maybe if we're the last two survivors, gyahaha!’ Iruma chuckled grossly. Akamatsu rolled her eyes. Of course, she wouldn't propose to Iruma even if they were the last two survivors…

‘No. Did you or did you not give Saihara-kun some sort of a device?’ she asked firmly, folding her arms over her chest and tapping her foot impatiently. 

‘Maybe I did. What about it? Last I checked you wanted me to do something for his sickly ass,’ she reminded defensively. ‘Did you change yer mind again or something? Too fuckin’ bad if so!’ 

‘No, no, I'm not saying it's a bad thing! I think it's a really nice gesture!’ Akamatsu clarified eagerly. ‘I was just wondering...the device is there in case he needs help, right? I was wondering who it'd be notifying…I have no idea how it even works, so I don't even know what to ask you about!’

‘Eh?’ Iruma tilted her head in confusion, squinting her eyes at Akamatsu, and then slapped her forehead so hard it made a concerning noise - or, it would be concerning if Akamatsu could be concerned for Iruma at the moment. ‘Oh, right. That's what I said it does. The signal would go to me, of course. Duh. Where the fuck else would it go.’

Akamatsu squinted at the wording. ‘What do you mean, that's what you said it does? Is it not what it does? And why does the signal go to you? You're not the one with the key, so it's kind of unhelpful…’

‘It totally is what it does,’ Iruma claimed defensively, ‘what, do ya think I'm a liar? Don't fuckin’ try! Anyway…if I hear the signal, I'll go to Hoejou, but Dasaihara hasn't used it even once yet, so I'm starting to think I wasted my time after all. Ugh.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Is that all you wanted from me? I'm a busy woman, unlike you.’

‘I wanted to take it off you,’ Akamatsu confessed, folding her arms over her chest, watching Iruma carefully. ‘I think I have the right to at least see it if it was done at my request.’

‘You don't have the key either,’ Iruma pointed out with satisfaction. ‘It's stayin’ with me until it starts beepin’. At least. Maybe I'll let you see it later if you come to the warehouse.’ Iruma made a gesture as if she was going to close the door, but Akamatsu stopped her. 

‘Wait, just one more question! Are you going to show up?’

‘Oh, at your cryptic whatever bullshit? Yeah, maybe. I don't really give a shit but I’ll be at the warehouse, so let me know when it's about to start and I'll decide then.’ She shrugged and closed the door before Akamatsu could stop her this time. 

***

The instant she entered the cafeteria, she felt a sense of excitement, a chill running through her entire body. The forgotten thrill of an upcoming performance, filling her with confidence coupled with mild stage fright, the sight of her future audience. She sat down at the table next to Angie and Tenko, with Ouma sitting immediately to her right and the girls to her left.

‘Hey, Akamatsu!’ Momota called out to her from the other side of the table, leaning forward curiously with a wide grin. ‘What are you plotting?’

‘Plotting? I'm not plotting anything,’ she said, taken off guard. Then, the realisation came, and she laughed awkwardly. ‘Oh! Well, it's a secret for now, sorry. You'll see.’

‘It better be something good!’ Momota teased, narrowing his eyes, before shoving food into his mouth. Shirogane watched him with a grimace, but remained silent, simply trying to focus on her own meal. 

‘You can bet it will be!’ Tenko assured excitedly, stopping herself from giving away the details. ‘Akamatsu-san prepared something great!’

‘It's going to be pretty fun, I think,’ Akamatsu said humbly. ‘Everyone's going to come, right?’ she asked cautiously, looking around the table. Everyone who decided to show up at breakfast, which was around half of the group, nodded their heads with different levels of enthusiasm. 

‘I don't know why Akamatsu-chan is so secretive,’ Ouma muttered just the tiniest bit too loudly with a full mouth. ‘It's pretty obvious what she's gonna do. She's a pianist, what else is she going to do?’

‘Jeez,’ Akamatsu scoffed, ‘it's just part of the fun, okay? You're one to talk about being intentionally vague…’ she remarked, recalling his cryptic clues during the previous investigation. 

He flashed her a big, self-satisfied smile, causing her to roll her eyes and turn towards Angie instead. 

‘How are the preparations going?’ she asked, lowering her voice.

‘Hm?’ Angie tilted her head. ‘Oh! Angie's all set! When you're done eating, we should go upstairs so Angie can prepare the decorations and stuff. Korekiyo went ahead to set up the chairs for your audience, nyahaha!’ she informed, clasping her hands. 

‘Oh that's good thinking!’ Akamatsu was impressed. She didn't even think about the seats - a part of her expected the audience to sit on the floor. ‘Well, I'll be done in about five minutes, so we can go then. Chabashira-san, are you going to stay and lead everyone up there when they're done?’

‘Roger that! Tenko can definitely do that!’ she saluted with an exaggerated serious expression. ‘Actually, Tenko's been wondering…where is Yumeno-san? She never misses breakfast, so it's strange that she's not here.’

‘Oh, Himiko told Angie that she wasn't coming to breakfast, but would come to the performance! Don't worry about that!’

Tenko exchanged glances with Akamatsu, who shrugged with a calming smile. She had grown used to certain members of the group exhibiting introverted tendencies. She wondered if Harukawa was going to show up, and a part of her expected the answer to be a hard no, but she decided to stay positive. 

‘Well, let's just hope everyone comes! Angie-san, I'm ready,’ she informed, getting up from her chair. ‘See you upstairs soon, guys!’ She looked at the clock. It was a few minutes after ten in the morning. Plenty of time to rehearse if she needs to. She felt her palms getting sweaty as she balled them into fists. 

***

Upon going upstairs, they found Shinguuji waiting for them along with some rather unexpected company. 

‘Hello, Kiibo-kun,’ Akamatsu greeted the robot, who was standing by the music room door. She noticed that he was wearing a brand new scarf, presumably the one Toujou had been making for him the day before. It was blue, with teal stripes, which went well with his eye colour. ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, mildly confused. 

‘I helped Shinguuji-kun carry the chairs from the classrooms over here! I don't quite understand what we're preparing for, but we're done now!’ he explained, resting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. ‘You should take a look, Akamatsu-san!’ he insisted with excitement usually expected from bigger accomplishments. 

He opened the door to the music room and gestured at them to come inside. Akamatsu entered the room and gasped. The chairs formed three rows in front of the piano. For some reason, she found herself choking up - she sorely missed that sight for the past days. The seats were waiting for their audience that was going to come soon and watch her play. She sat at the piano and looked at the chairs again. Yes, that looked right. She smiled widely at the others, standing beside the piano. 

‘That's perfect, Shinguuji-kun, Kiibo-kun. Thank you for doing this in advance for us! Angie-san, feel free to go ahead and display the sculptures!’ she nodded at Angie, who began taking the miniatures out of her pockets. In the meantime, Shinguuji maneuvered Kiibo out of the room, talking to him right outside. 

The figures bore a striking resemblance to the participants of the killing game. If Akamatsu didn't know better, she would have assumed that Angie somehow managed to shrink their classmates. Then she noticed something that made her blood freeze in her veins. 

‘Is…is that Amami-kun? And Gonta-kun?’ she asked weakly, pointing at the sculptures. Angie followed her line of sight and nodded enthusiastically. 

‘Angie thought that they shouldn't be excluded just because they're dead, you know? They're still a part of the group. Angie doesn't want them to be forgotten,’ she explained softly, handing the Amami one over to Akamatsu. 

She examined it carefully. The miniature Amami looked back at her with the too-familiar relaxed eyes and a gentle smile. Angie had captured his expression almost too perfectly. 

‘Oh, but, everyone gets to take their own sculpture after the show, right?’ Akamatsu realised suddenly. ‘Who's going to take theirs?’

Angie looked at her with a knowing smile. ‘You can take this one, Kaede. Angie is going to take care of Gonta's,’ she informed, looking down at the entire group. ‘Or, maybe we can just leave them all here as a symbol.’

‘I guess we'll see what the group wants,’ Akamatsu said hesitantly, setting the Amami sculpture back with all the others. ‘I'm so excited for this performance,’ she confessed, blushing slightly with nervousness and anticipation. 

‘Kaede, do you usually perform like this?’ Angie asked innocently, glancing down at her clothes, put on hastily earlier in the morning. 

‘Oh, you mean dressed like that?’ Akamatsu looked down at her outfit, a bit embarrassed. ‘Well, no…usually I wear dresses or something, but I don't really have one here, you know? It's okay though, it's not like I need to dress fancy. It's about the music.’

‘Of course it is! Angie was just thinking that maybe you'd want your hair done up so it would look special, or something like that. Sometimes that's an important part of the ceremony.’

Akamatsu questioned the use of the word ‘ceremony’, but she considered the point carefully. It was true that there needed to be something special about the performance. She never thought about it that way, too focused on just playing music, but it definitely felt right. ‘Sure, if you want to,’ she said finally. 

Angie was about to grab a hair tie off her wrist, but she was interrupted by seemingly everything happening at once. 

The two heard voices outside the door, trying to overpower each other. Unsure as to what happened, Akamatsu rushed towards the door and opened it swiftly. 

‘What's going on?’ she asked, seeing the panic on the faces of her friends. ‘What happened?’

‘W-we have a problem, Akamatsu-san,’ Tenko said, stuttering and pale. ‘Tenko is so worried she rushed over here immediately...’

‘But what happened?’ Akamatsu demanded, watching them both in confusion. Angie appeared behind her back, listening carefully, exchanging glances with Shinguuji. 

‘Well, Tenko wanted to do what you asked, Akamatsu-san, that is make sure everyone makes it here. So she went to remind those who did not attend breakfast to show up to the performance, but…Yumeno-san didn't answer, even though she was supposed to be in her room...Tenko rang the doorbell for thirty seconds straight! We need to find her!’ she said with pain in her voice, looking up at Akamatsu with hope. 

‘Oh, my god…maybe she took a nap? Or went to the bathroom or something…’ Akamatsu knew that that explanation was the most hopeful one she could muster. 

‘Tenko led most of our classmates here but…’

That was when Toujou appeared next to her, breathing heavily. 

‘Akamatsu-san, I have failed to carry out my duties. Please, don't hesitate to punish me for my negligence,’ she begged, clearly upset. Akamatsu’s confusion was bottomless at that point. 

‘What happened, Toujou-san? Please calm down,’ she asked desperately. ‘I'm not going to punish you, but I need to know what's going on!’ she glanced at Tenko, who seemed even more terrified than her. 

‘It appears that I lost the key to Saihara-kun’s room while fulfilling my duties elsewhere,’ she admitted, very clearly frustrated with herself. 

‘What?!’ Akamatsu looked at one apologetic girl and then the other with growing distress. ‘When did you last…’

‘I used it when I brought him breakfast, which you were there to witness. Like every morning, I went to his room to collect the tray, but there I realised that I had lost the key and could not enter his room. I decided to tell you and let you decide what should be done next.’

‘Oh no…no…’ Akamatsu whispered, rubbing her temples. Two desperate situations at once were far from ideal, especially as she still had the performance on her mind, although it was definitely far from a priority. ‘Toujou-san, could you empty your pockets right now to make sure it's not there?’ Her belief in Toujou as a person and Toujou as a competent mind were fighting in her heart - this kind of a mistake was unbelievable to her, so she needed to see it for herself to believe it. 

‘Certainly,’ Toujou obliged with no hesitation. The only things she had in her pockets at the moment were her ID and a pack of tissues. 

‘Thank you…this is bad,’ Akamatsu muttered. She looked over at the tree, where the remaining students gathered, waiting for the performance, including Momota Kaito who was looking at them curiously. 

‘Kiibo-kun,’ Akamatsu whispered to the robot in a hushed voice. A course of action was forming in her head. ‘Could you go check on Iruma-san and bring her over? She will probably listen to you more than any of us.’

‘Of course,’ he responded, always eager to help. He started walking towards the staircase. 

‘Momota-kun,’ Akamatsu called out to him next, gesturing for him to come over. ‘Would you please go with Toujou-san to guard Saihara-kun’s room? The key was lost and I can't risk anybody who might have found it to enter his room and do anything nasty. On the other hand, if someone finds it, they might bring it there. In any case, can you do that for me? I'll make sure the others help look for it.’

Momota glanced at Toujou, whose face was still red from embarrassment at her failure. ‘Sure,’ he said, nodding his head. ‘I'll catch the bastard who stole it no matter what!’

‘Well, we don't know if anybody stole it, but…’ Akamatsu clarified half heartedly before giving up. The details weren't important. What mattered was acting as fast as possible. ‘In any case, could you please…?’

‘Of course, let's go!’ Momota nodded at Toujou and made his way towards the staircase. In that moment, Akamatsu thought he might be more reliable than she had originally assumed.

Now that she had someone to guard the door, she could handle everything else. Or, so it seemed at that moment. If she weren't so stressed, she'd pat herself on the back for being so level-headed. 

Shirogane went to the bathroom, skipping nervously. Akamatsu decided to make an announcement about splitting up to find the key and Yumeno after she was back. Tenko glanced at her nervously. 

Exactly then, with no warning, a blood-curdling scream filled the air, startling everyone. 

Shirogane stormed out of the bathroom, pale and out of breath. Akamatsu rushed over to comfort her, but she couldn't help being curious as to what scared her to begin with. She let her eyes drop, following Shirogane’s, and there she saw a skeleton on the floor of the girls’ room. She realised immediately that it must have been the same skeleton that scared her in the Bio Lab on the day after the trial. 

That realisation carried another with it. A bad feeling, an intuitive spark that she wished, oh so badly, would be wrong. 

Not saying a word, Akamatsu rushed down the stairs, almost slipping on every other step. She wouldn't even be bothered if that happened - she needed to make sure the feeling was wrong. Other people's voices and footsteps followed her as she ran into the Bio Lab. 

As expected, the skeleton stand was covered just like Shinguuji said it would be.

But…

The skeleton…

Was in the bathroom… 

So what was under the cloth? 

She approached the stand. Something was definitely under it. But what? She closed her eyes and ripped it off, causing a chorus of terrified screams, along with the body discovery announcement going off. She opened one eye and immediately dropped the cloth onto the floor, taking a step back in terror. 

Before her eyes appeared the corpse of Yumeno Himiko, her tiny body held upright much like the skeleton used to be. Before she could take a closer look, not that she wanted to, she was shoved out of the way into one of the desks. Chabashira Tenko ran up to the body, tears streaming down her face. Her hands shot up towards Yumeno's face, as if she was going to cup her cheeks. She then dropped to her knees, her body shaken by violent sobs. 

Akamatsu quietly stepped back into the group by the door, feeling her legs shaking. She kept telling herself to keep it together - someone had to, after all. 

As it turned out, she didn't get to recover from the shock just yet. 

‘Akamatsu…’ Momota's voice called out to her from the hall. ‘What the fuck happened here…oh shit.’ His eyes widened when he noticed the corpse in the back. ‘Oh shit…’ he repeated, looking away. ‘So that's why…’

‘Momota-kun, why are you here…I thought you were guarding the door?’ Akamatsu said weakly, progressively more confused. ‘Did someone return the key?’ she asked hopefully. 

‘Well…no…kind of? I think you should see something…but maybe now is not the right time,’ he answered vaguely.

‘Now is exactly the time,’ she protested, ‘before Monokuma arrives with the…’ she was too choked up to finish. 

‘Tenko will guard the body,’ Tenko declared from the floor, still sobbing, ‘don't worry about it, Akamatsu-san. You should go see what Momota-san found. Tenko guarantees that nobody will touch anything here.’

‘Okay. I'll be right back!’ Akamatsu assured before following Momota down the hall, feeling her entire body shaking lightly as if cold wind was blowing on her. 

Momota led her towards the dorms, avoiding eye contact and any small talk. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the uneasy feeling that overcame her when she saw the skeleton would not go away. 

Finally, they arrived at the door, where Toujou was waiting, clearly shaken. She glanced at the door, prompting Akamatsu to follow the lead. Momota stood beside her, avoiding eye contact. Both of them seemed to want to tell her something without saying anything. Feeling herself shaking even more, she looked... 

The door…was undeniably open, just a crack. 

Were…were they too late? 

How was it possible? 

Akamatsu took a deep breath. There was a chance that nothing terrible was waiting for her inside, right? 

She opened the door and looked inside. 

And then, she dropped to her knees, as her body went limp from shock. She felt a pulsating sensation in her temples.

Saihara Shuuichi was dead. There was no doubt about it this time, as the announcement went off above them in dead silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Show of hands, who expected a double murder this chapter?  
> I need to apologize in advance to Yumeno and tenmiko fans - I love them just as much, but it...it was inevitable. If that makes you feel better, I have plans for Tenko.  
> In other news, this chaper was a bitch to plan and write. Be merciful, please.  
> OH and I have to thank everyone for the support lately. I really, really appreciate it. This rewrite started as a very personal self-indulgent joke but the support really helps it grow, thank you.  
> See you in the investigation!


	21. Chapter 2: Investigation

Akamatsu found herself unable to move any of her limbs, paralysed by the shock. She felt like something was pulling her towards the floor, rendering it impossible to get up.

Then, she felt someone picking her up by the shoulders. Momota was helping her up, himself looing pale and nervous.

'Thanks,' she said weakly, deciding against telling him off for touching her without permission. Right then, a door opened somewhere behind her. Turning around, she noticed who it was, and froze.

Harukawa.

Noticing the commotion, the quiet woman walked towards them and looked inside the room, seeming completely unaffected by the sight.

'Ah,' she said flatly, 'so that's one of the bodies.' She looked around the room and walked towards the bed, and then back towards the group. 'Do you know where's the other one?' she asked matter-of-factly, staring into Akamatsu's eyes. There was no concern in her eyes, just cold curiosity

'Y-yeah,' Akamatsu confirmed. She still felt terribly weak, but she wasn't going to let it stop her. 'Yumeno-san, in the Bio Lab,' she informed. 'I'm going back there soon,' she added.

'Okay? Good for you,' Harukawa said, shrugging, and left the room without so much as thanking her for the information.

As always, Akamatsu was left wondering if Harukawa was just that cold, or if she was simply shy and reserved, not revealing her feelings...sometimes, the people you meet seem like a puzzle you want to solve – and Akamatsu was in the process of solving multiple.

'A-anway,' she said to Toujou and Momota, trying to get her mind off that. 'Could you two continue guarding the body? I'll be back soon, but I want to see if Monokuma has anything to say.'

'Of course. I need to make up for my fatal oversight,' Toujou said, sniffling. Akamatsu noted that, even while sad, she still held it together better than most people.

***

Akamatsu came back to the Bio Lab, where most of the group, with the exception of Ouma, had gathered, waiting for Monokuma to inevitably appear to confirm that they would now have to participate in an investigation followed by a trial. Tenko was standing in front of Yumeno's body, not letting anyone else come close. 

And then, Akamatsu heard her ID make a noise - same as last time, echoed by the other IDs around her. She shuddered, anticipating Monokuma to pop up. 

‘Wow, that's a crowd!’ the bear’s voice called out from the doorstep, announcing his presence to the students. ‘Were you waiting for li'l old me? Upupupupu~’ he cackled. 

Akamatsu rolled her eyes and crossed her arms impatiently.

‘Ohoho, I see someone died again!’ Monokuma continued, pretending to be shocked to discover Yumeno's body. ‘That's what happens when you don't invite me to your concert, Akamatsu-san!’

‘Oh no, Angie completely forgot to!’ Akamatsu heard right behind her back. The idea shot a shudder down her spine. She had completely forgotten that they were being listened in on, for a blissful moment.

‘Wait a second! Does that mean what Tenko thinks it means? Did you…did you murder Yumeno-san?’ Tenko's voice was shaking as her entire body tensed up, ready to pounce and grab Monokuma at any moment. 

‘That would be convenient for you, wouldn't it? You wouldn't have to try to figure out which of your ‘friends’ axed your crush. But, no, it's not me. I'm not a participant in the killing game, silly! It was one of you bastards, in both cases!’

‘Both…?’ Tenko was caught off guard.

‘Saihara Shuuichi was also found dead in his room!’ Monokuma informed, grinning with satisfaction. ‘Which is good, because he was getting on my nerves with his whining, to be honest.’

‘Double murder…’ Shirogane muttered, hugging herself. ‘Someone here committed two murders? Or, two people committed murders at the same time? Or they killed each other, or…’

‘That's up to you to determine! Well, partially. You don't need to bother thinking about Saihara-kun’s murder,’ Monokuma explained. 

‘Huh? What do you mean?’ Akamatsu tilted her head. ‘We have to catch whoever murdered both of them!’

‘Let me explain, Akamatsu-san. Only one person can graduate. I'm not allowing anything more. So, whoever has their work discovered first is the one you're trying to catch. Whoever the second bastard is…well, let's just say they will have to try again later, because they were too late. Assuming, of course, the murders were committed by two different people. If it turns out both murders were committed by the same person, I will gladly execute them, obviously.’

‘So...Saihara-kun’s death…is irrelevant to the case?’ Shirogane asked, glancing at Akamatsu nervously. 

‘Pretty much! I mean, if you want to take revenge yourself, I won't stop you from investigating it, but I'm gonna stay out of it unless someone dies again! By the way, please make sure nobody else dies before the trial. No more than two at a time, okay?’

‘Oh, so that means Ouma-kun is somewhere safe?’ Shirogane asked nervously. ‘He's not here, so I assumed…’

‘He's definitely alive and somewhere in the school, sadly,’ Monokuma assured. ‘I'll make sure he makes it to the trial,’ he added, showing off his claws.

‘Gyahaha, this whole thing is so lame!’ Iruma cackled. ‘I told you he was going to die like a bitch! Iruma Miu is never wrong!’

‘Akamatsu-san, shouldn't you be happy that you don't have to investigate his death? That's exactly what you were worried about not that long ago!’ Monokuma pointed out. 

‘You…’ Akamatsu narrowed her eyes at him, clenching her fists. 

‘Anyway, good luck investigating! See you in two hours!’ Monokuma said, and disappeared.

INVESTIGATION: START

Akamatsu knew she had no time to lose. She opened the Monokuma File and studied it closely. 

The victim is Yumeno Himiko.   
The time of death is sometime around 10am.  
Her throat and lungs are damaged.

The victim is Saihara Shuuichi.   
The time of death is sometime after 10am.  
There are old injuries on his legs and head. No other external injuries. Severe internal injuries. 

Akamatsu groaned. That was, as expected, the bare minimum of information. At least this time she had something resembling time of death for reference, but it was frustratingly vague. 

She looked at the clock. It wasn't even half past eleven yet. The murders…didn't happen that long ago. In fact, now that she remembered, 'around 10am' was terribly close to the moment she and Angie left the cafeteria. She had to find out who was responsible. 

She looked up and around. Most people had left the room, presumably to start investigating. Maybe someone would find Ouma…she had undefined worries related to his sudden disappearance, especially because she couldn't remember when she last saw him, and because she still didn't know who had the key. 

She approached Tenko, who was still guarding Yumeno's body. Before she could say anything, Harukawa, who was still in the room with them, spoke up. 

‘Can I take a closer look at the body?’ she asked in a tone that suggested it was less of a concern for permission than a request for the other girl to move over. When she did, Harukawa knelt in front of the body, not touching it, and examined something Akamatsu couldn't see. 

‘What did you find?’ Akamatsu asked when she got up from her knees. Harukawa glanced at her, amused. 

‘Why should I tell you?’ she asked coldly.

‘We're on the same team,’ Akamatsu explained desperately, knowing that argument wouldn't work. 

‘I'm not sure about that,’ Harukawa said calmly, but with a hint of annoyance. ‘As long as you don't know who committed the murder, only count on yourself. I didn't find anything you can't figure out by yourself. Now, if you'll excuse me…’ She made her way towards the door, not paying attention to either of the other girls. 

‘Ugh, what's up with her!’ Akamatsu muttered, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. 

‘Tenko can understand her attitude…she hasn't been letting anybody come near Yumeno-san’s body, after all. Because she can't know for sure…’

‘I guess,’ Akamatsu admitted reluctantly, ‘but…I can investigate her body, right? With…all due respect.’ She added cautiously. 

‘Of course, of course. Tenko knows you couldn't have done it, Akamatsu-san,’ she said softly, sniffling. She couldn't bear to look at the body, Akamatsu thought. In a way, doing it for her was probably a favour. 

‘So, Chabashira-san,’ she prompted, kneeling next to Yumeno's body, ‘could you tell me how things looked from your side? We need to try to establish alibis, and I think you can help me.’

‘Oh, of course, Tenko will do everything to help. Hmmm,’ she hummed, trying to remember everything. Meanwhile, Akamatsu discovered that Yumeno's arms were tied behind her back, twisted uncomfortably. ‘As far as Tenko remembers, the list of people who were at the breakfast would be…us, Angie-san, Momota-san, Hoshi-san, Ouma-san and Shirogane-san. Toujou-san was also there but not at the table with us… Tenko went to get Yumeno-san and Harukawa-san to come b-but…’ she bit her lip. 

‘Did Harukawa-san answer the door when you came?’ Akamatsu asked, examining Yumeno's face. It wasn't a pleasant sight. Her mouth and nose were taped shut with duct tape. Her skin was cold to the touch. 

‘Oh, yes. She answered the door and said she was going to come when she's ready.’

‘Did you notice if Saihara-kun’s door was open or closed when you went to the dorms?’ 

‘Hmm…Tenko wasn't paying attention to the boy dorms because she knew that somebody else was going to help him make it to the performance. But she assumes it was closed…’

‘Okay, what then?’ Akamatsu prodded, finished with the examination of Yumeno's body. ‘Then you came upstairs with everyone?’

‘The rest of the group had gathered in the hall and Tenko went upstairs with them, yes…that sounds about correct. Tenko apologises, but she doesn't remember when she lost Ouma-san.’

‘What about Toujou-san?’ Akamatsu asked suddenly. ‘She came to me after you, so I assume she went to check on Saihara-kun sometime after you talked to Harukawa-san.’

‘Tenko wasn't paying that much attention to Toujou-san, she was too worried about Yumeno-san…but that sounds right, too. She always collects his tray around the same time, doesn't she? It's all a bit of a blur, but Tenko hopes she helped.’

‘Yeah, of course,’ Akamatsu assured, giving her a thumbs up. ‘I'll go talk to others now, okay?’

‘Please, Akamatsu-san…help Tenko avenge Yumeno-san. Do anything you can,’ she begged weakly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes again. 

***

Akamatsu returned to Saihara's room. Momota and Toujou were still waiting there, guarding the body. She noticed that someone had closed his eyes, which was a nice gesture. 

‘Akamatsu, did you find out anything?’ Momota asked, perking up. 

‘Yeah…’ she hesitated. ‘Apparently, the only murder we have to investigate is Yumeno-san’s. That's what Monokuma said. Whoever killed Saihara…is going to get away with it. Unless one of us is a serial killer.’

‘Wait, what?’ Momota's eyes widened in shock. ‘You're not making that up, are you?’ he asked suspiciously. 

‘Of course not! Why would I lie? I want to find out who…who did this to Saihara-kun! And according to Monokuma, he died for no reason!’

‘Oh…that's awful…’ Toujou said weakly, sniffling. ‘My failure took an innocent life, and now he might never know peace…and neither will I.’

‘Hey, Toujou-san, that's okay…’ Akamatsu said softly, ‘Nobody's blaming you for this, okay? You have so much to take care of, everyday…you can't always be on top of it.’

‘Yeah, you do so much for us, don't sweat it! I bet some bastard stole the key and hid it somewhere, and none of that is your fault,’ Momota added. ‘Akamatsu, she even wanted to do CPR on him, but we decided it's useless since the announcement played.’

‘Really?’ Akamatsu looked at her, impressed. ‘Toujou-san, if you really want to help us, could you tell me exactly what happened?’

‘Of course. As I remember, after you left the cafeteria, I decided to take Saihara-kun’s tray, as I do every morning. I went there and discovered that the key wasn't there. Desperate to find it, I entered my room and looked for it, despite knowing that it was likely stolen. Then, I headed straight upstairs. Following your orders, Momota-kun and I headed back here and discovered that the door was open, and decided to let you know before we proceed.’

‘I see,’ Akamatsu said, nodding. ‘Momota-kun, anything else?’

‘Toujou tripped on the stairs because we were walking too fast and she skipped a step. Instead of asking me to stop and check if she's alright, she told me to keep moving - it was badass! We were still late, though… We heard the body discovery announcement right around the time we noticed that the door wasn't fully closed, which was fuckin’ eerie. Other than that, I got nothin’, except that I'll rip the spine out of the bastard who did this.’

Akamatsu walked towards the bed on her tiptoes, as if something inside her was desperate not to wake him up, somehow, from his eternal slumber. She wasn't going to waste much time there, but she needed to at least look… 

Now, with his eyes and mouth closed, he really looked like he was just asleep. The skin around his nostrils was unnaturally pale, as were his lips. There was nothing else to suggest he died from anything other than natural causes, except…what seemed like a pool of saliva on his pillow. She couldn't tell if that was related to the case, or a result of him drooling in his sleep… 

She picked up his hat, which was still lying beside his head, now to be abandoned forever. 

She decided to take it. He surely wouldn't have minded…and unlike Amami, he never got to consciously give her a memento. 

***

‘Iruma-san, can we talk?’ Akamatsu asked, entering the warehouse. Iruma immediately materialised next to her, irritated and impatient. 

‘What the fuck do you want, Bakamatsu?’ she asked, resting her hands on her hips. 

‘I don't know if you noticed, but we're in the middle of an investigation,’ Akamatsu growled, crossing her arms. ‘So now I have to ask you questions.’

‘T-that so…Make it quick, then,’ Iruma said defiantly but with a stutter betraying her lack of confidence.

‘Let me see it. The device. Right now,’ Akamatsu demanded.

‘I have no clue what you're talkin’ about,’ Iruma insisted, avoiding eye contact. 

‘Iruma-san, please. I just want to know,’ Akamatsu said softly yet firmly. ‘It can't be so bad that I shouldn't see it.’

Iruma sighed and reached into her pocket. She then pulled something rather small and egg-shaped out of it. 

‘Is that…’ Akamatsu paused, feeling herself becoming sick. 

‘A vibrator, yeah. You got me. Sucks that the fucker never pressed the button,’ Iruma muttered. 

‘You tricked us into thinking that you did something for us…but it was just for you,’ Akamatsu said in a hollow voice. 

‘Hey, it would let me know that he wanted something. Not my fault vibrations are pleasant, you fuckin’ prude,’ Iruma scoffed. 

‘Fine, whatever, it doesn't matter…’ Akamatsu rubbed her temples. ‘Where were you from, say, half past nine till Kiibo-kun came here to get you?’

‘What are you, a cop?’ Iruma chuckled. ‘I was here the entire time. After you left me alone in the morning, Kiibs and I came here. Then the creepo came here and asked Kiibs to help with something, and of course he did, because he doesn't have the balls to say no. Not yet, at least, I'm working on it. Anyway, I kept working until Kiibs came back, and then it turned out there's a body, big whoop. So I went to look, and then I came back here.’

‘Around what time did Shinguuji-kun come to get Kiibo-kun?’

‘Do I look like a fuckin’ clock to you? I don't keep track of timestamps every fuckin’ day of my life in case some loser decides to die.’

‘Not even approximately?’ Akamatsu tried again, desperately trying not to lose patience. 

‘It was not that long after we arrived here. Maybe sometime around 10am. I don't fuckin’ know, I promise.’ She gestured to her right. ‘In case ya need proof that I was actually working, here's what I was working on when someone decided to stop breathing.’ Akamatsu narrowed her eyes. It seemed like a bastardised version of rollerblades, presumably for Kiibo. She decided that she doesn't want to know. 

‘Have you seen Ouma-kun?’ she asked finally. ‘Or the key?’

‘The key? No fuckin’ clue about any keys, and I didn't see the twink. Last I saw him was…so long ago that I can't remember! Good for me, too!’

***

Akamatsu found Kiibo, Hoshi and Shirogane in the music room. The latter was still recovering from the run-in with the skeleton, it seemed. 

‘Shirogane-san, are you okay?’ she asked, concerned. 

‘Y-yes…I can't stop thinking about the skeleton, eugh. And the bodies, of course. I'll never get used to it,’ she said weakly, hugging herself. 

‘Well, I think it'd be more concerning if you found the sight of a corpse comforting,’ Akamatsu said cautiously. ‘Is the skeleton still there?’

‘I-I refuse to look again! I don't know!’ Shirogane raised her voice, covering her ears. 

‘O-okay, I'll check later,’ Akamatsu said soothingly. 

‘I suppose you were right,’ Shirogane admitted suddenly, ‘it was silly of me to suspect Saihara-kun…he's still a lousy detective, though. A good detective wouldn't let themselves get killed like that. It never happens!’

‘I don't think this is the right time to judge his qualifications as a detective…’ Akamatsu said diplomatically. 

‘Agreed,’ Hoshi muttered, nodding. ‘I think we should focus on solving the case. I wish I could do more to help, but I don't think I saw anything important.’

‘Both of you were at breakfast and went with Chabashira-san, right? Did you notice anything weird?’ Akamatsu asked, looking at Hoshi and Shirogane. 

‘Not really,’ Hoshi admitted, ‘I was focused on my food, and then I was just thinking about my own issues. I didn't even notice when we lost Ouma. We should implement a buddy system or something,’ he said, sucking on a candy cigarette. 

‘I didn't notice anything, either…’ Shirogane admitted. I just looked at the clock, waiting for the performance to start.’

‘Looking at the clock? Shirogane-san, you're a godsend! What time did you all leave the cafeteria?’ Akamatsu asked, almost excitedly. 

‘Oh, um!’ Shirogane stuttered, suddenly aware of the importance of her testimony. ‘It was like, after half past? It wasn't quite 11am yet. Maybe 10:45am or something like that. You understand, looking at the clock doesn't mean you memorise the time…’

‘Of course, that's still really helpful though!’ Akamatsu assured. ‘Hey, Kiibo-kun, could I ask you about what you did this morning? I have to know.’

‘Certainly!’ Kiibo’s eagerness to help was noticeable as always. ‘I escorted Iruma-san to the warehouse! Then Shinguuji-kun asked me to help him carry chairs! Afterwards, you sent me to the warehouse again! Iruma-san and I first went upstairs, but didn't find anyone! Then, we went to the Biology Lab and found the body! That's all from me!’

‘What time did Shinguuji-kun come pick you up?’ Akamatsu asked quickly. 

‘I don't have a built-in clock, so I don't have the exact time,’ Kiibo admitted apologetically, ‘I'm sorry, Akamatsu-san. It was shortly before you and Angie-san arrived, though. It didn't take us a long time to arrange.’

‘Okay, thank you, Kiibo-kun, thanks everyone,’ Akamatsu said sincerely, bowing her head. ‘If you find Ouma-kun or the key, let me know, okay?’

She went to the bathroom to check if the skeleton was still there. It had been removed. 

***

Akamatsu decided to come back to the Bio Lab, where she found Angie and Shinguuji this time. 

‘Angie can't look at the body…’ she confessed, staring into Akamatsu’s eyes. ‘Poor Himiko…’

‘Yeah…’ Akamatsu sighed. ‘When I look at the body, I get so sad…who would want to kill her? She never hurt anyone…’

‘Hmmm…Angie thinks she might know.’

‘Huh? Tell me, what do you mean?’ Akamatsu tensed up. 

‘Angie got visited by Himiko last night. She couldn't sleep. She told her that she feels like the previous murder is her fault!’

‘What?’ Akamatsu exclaimed in shock. ‘How?’

‘You see, Himiko cast a spell during our sleepover, remember? It was a spell that was supposed to make sure we all survive the night safely and such. Well, it worked on us, but two other people here died. So, Himiko thought that she disturbed something, Angie doesn't really get it, but it sounded similar to tthe distrubance she felt when Gonta died in a way. She said that she wanted to try to make up for it, but Angie doesn't know how. She told her it's okay, anyway, and that she doesn't need to do anything.’

‘That's…’ Akamatsu was speechless. Was that what had been bothering Yumeno since the trial started? Was that why she seemed so depressed? ‘Shinguuji-kun, I have a question for you too.’

‘What is it, Akamatsu-san?’ he asked calmly.

‘The rope on Yumeno-san’s wrists. Is that, by chance, yours?’ She made sure to not to let her tone sound too suspicious.

‘It might be,’ he admitted, nodding. ‘She borrowed it from me yesterday, though I don't know what for. I didn't need it at the moment, so I obliged. I suppose I shouldn't claim it back.’

‘Angie thinks that maybe…maybe she wanted to use the rope for some sort of a trick. That makes sense with what she told Angie. Maybe that would undo the disturbance. And, Angie thinks, Himiko already made up for it plenty..’

‘I have to check something right now…’ Akamatsu muttered, running out of the room. 

***

Akamatsu entered Yumeno's dorm. Just like Amami had told her, Monokuma opened it for the sake of the investigation. 

She knew what she was looking for. 

She looked under the bed. The envelope was there, sure enough. She grabbed it easily and examined it up close. 

It had been opened. Her heart dropped. 

She sat on the bed and examined the contents carefully, each more heartbreaking than the last. 

Most of them were newspaper clippings, from some local newspapers as far as she could tell. All of them were reporting on a certain unnamed magician, who had apparently been denounced as a con artist and chased out of the town.and another town...

Was the magician…supposed to be their very own Yumeno Himiko? Was all this…about her? She was involved in a scandal? A fraud? 

According to the contents of the envelope, Yumeno was essentially an outlaw, and had become infamous all over Japan. 

Akamatsu had never heard about any of that. Not only regarding Yumeno, she didn't recall hearing about any con artists so infamous. Granted, she never was good at keeping up with the news, but… 

Then, an announcement went off above her head. The investigation was over. 

She stuffed Yumeno's envelope under her sweater vest and ran out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm deeply sorry if this is a mess


	22. Chapter 2: Trial 1

When Akamatsu left Yumeno's room, a surprising sight was awaiting her.

'Ouma-kun?' she asked, pausing in her tracks. 'Where have you been this entire time?'

'Aw, Akamatsu-chan missed me?' he teased, as the others gathered around him. 'Did everyone else miss me too?' he asked, looking at their shocked faces.

'Where were you...? Do you know that two murders happened?'

'What are you up to, you shit?'

'I was investigating, of course? I thought that that's what I'm supposed to do?' he cocked his head to the side. 'Oh, of course I know about the bodies. I got the Monokuma Files, you know? I didn't come near them, though. Corpses are so icky!'

'Did you really just say that?' Momota asked, grimacing. 'Are you sure you have a dick, using words like 'icky,' really?'

'I don't recall saying I do,' Ouma pointed out, tapping his chin. 'You think corpses are not icky, Momota-chan? Then I don't think you should be an astronaut, maybe try the morgue instead?'

That's when the elevator opened in front of them. Ouma walked into the elevator cheerfully, and the others followed him. Akamatsu heard Momota mutter to himself, 'what the fuck did that even mean?'

Finally, the elevator door closed behind them. Akamatsu put her hand up to her chest. The envelope was still there, tucked safely. She had a feeling that it might come in handy.

She looked over to her right, at Chabashira Tenko, who was biting her lips. Akamatsu realised that Tenko had been guarding Yumeno's body until just a few minutes before. She stayed by the body, loyally protecting it from everyone. During the trial, the body was going to be disposed of. She was never going to see Yumeno again, dead or alive. There was nothing more heartbreaking to Akamatsu at that moment. She put her hand on Tenko's shoulder in solidarity. They smiled at each other weakly.

Akamatsu couldn't relate entirely, but, she realised, she was facing another devastating loss, too. She never wanted anybody to die, and yet she already had to say farewell to four people, soon to be five if she finds the culprit. She can't not – if they fail, everyone was going to die. She had to lead them to the truth.

Having Saihara around would have been great help. Having to lose him so soon after he came back was devastating. She remembered the last time they saw each other...two hours later, he was dead. Murdered at his most vulnerable. Who was responsible?

She solved one case without his help already. Now, she had to solve this one for his sake.

Then, the elevator stopped, and the door opened. The layout didn't change much from the last time, but now there were paper stars hanging from the high ceiling, hanging over the courtroom like some kind of a charm. Akamatsu felt nauseous.

'Are you ready, you bastards?' Monokuma asked, popping out of nowhere as per usual. 'Let's get this show on the road, yeah?'

'Tenko won't let anybody leave until she finds the culprit,' she declared, clenching her fists, scanning the room as if she could spot the villain this way.

'That's the spirit!' Monokuma praised, grinning. 'Now, you know the deal, take your seats, you bastards. Let's get this over with.'

Akamatsu found her spot. She looked around the courtroom, watching everyone settle in. There were now four empty seats... Looking to her left, she remembered the previous trial. Yumeno standing between her and Ouma, getting a migraine from the bickering. Now she was replaced by a black-and-white portrait, with a red X crossing out her face – it resembled two crossed wands. Across the room from her, Saihara's portrait had also been crossed out (the X resembling two pipes), as was Gonta's (a big, thick X), and Amami's (with a regular X).

Ouma glanced to his right, and their eyes met. She couldn't decipher the emotions behind the look he gave her, but she could have sworn he looked sad for a moment before looking away with an excited grin.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was time for the class trial.

It was time to discover who killed Saihara Shuuichi, who was just starting to embrace his talent and his place in the group, who was willing to go out and risk his health to investigate despite his fear of the truth.

It was time to discover who killed Yumeno Himiko, who carried more worries on her back than people stronger and bigger than her could handle. She decided to carry it all by herself, not relying on anyone else – and Akamatsu wished she tried to persuade her into accepting help anyway.

Truth bullets:

>Monokuma File  
The victim is Yumeno Himiko.  
The time of death is sometime around 10am.  
Her throat and lungs are damaged.

The victim is Saihara Shuuichi.  
The time of death is sometime after 10am.  
There are old injuries on his legs and head. No other external injuries. Severe internal injuries. 

>The state of the body  
The body was found in the Bio Lab, replacing the skeleton display. In order to reveal the body, Akamatsu had to remove the cloth that was covering it.

>The tape  
There's duct tape covering Yumeno's mouth and nose.

>The rope  
Her body is tied to the skeleton display stand by rope that also tied her arms behind her back.

>The missing skeleton  
The skeleton had been removed from the Bio Lab and was found on the floor of the girls' room on the second floor. It has been removed from there since, and its whereabouts are unknown.

>Yumeno's memories  
The envelope found in Yumeno's room. It contains multiple newspaper clippings detailing the cases an unnamed magician being called out for fraud.

>Angie's testimony  
Yumeno went to Angie's room on the night before her death. She told Angie about the guilt she feels over Gonta's murder and the will to make up for it. She also said that she won't make it to breakfast.

>Iruma's testimony  
She spent all morning working in the warehouse until Yumeno's body was discovered. She claims that Kiibo left to help Shinguuji around 10am.

>Shinguuji's testimony  
He claims that Yumeno borrowed rope from him under the guise of practicing a trick.

>Kiibo's testimony  
He says that Shinguuji called him over for help not long before Akamatsu and Angie came upstairs, but he failed to pinpoint a specific timeframe.

>Chabashira's testimony  
Before making it to the second floor, she rang the doorbell on Yumeno's and Harukawa's dorms. Harukawa answered her, unlike Yumeno, who was already dead at the time.

>Momota's testimony  
He says that the first body discovery announcement played around the time he and Toujou noticed that the door to Saihara's dorm is open. Their discovery is not what triggered it – the second announcement played when Akamatsu discovered Saihara's body.

>Toujou's testimony  
She claims that when she went to the dorms to Saihara's room, she discovered that the key wasn't in her possession. She then went to her own dorm to search for it. Not having found it, she reported the loss to Akamatsu.

>The breakfast alibis  
The people who were at breakfast are the following: Akamatsu, Angie, Tenko, Ouma, Hoshi, Momota, Shirogane, Toujou, all of whom arrived there shortly before or after 9am, depending on the person. Akamatsu and Angie left a few minutes after 10am and remained together since. The remaining participants stayed in the cafeteria until about 10:45 according to Shirogane. Nobody is sure when Ouma went his own way.

>Missing key  
The key to Saihara's dorm has been missing. It had definitely been used since Toujou lost it, since the door was found open, allowing for the body discovery.

>Saihara's door  
Found closed by Toujou when she attempted to collect Saihara's tray. Found open when she went to guard it with Momota soon after. Tenko doesn't remember if it was open when she went to check on Yumeno and Harukawa. 

>The saliva on the pillow  
Found next to Saihara's body. It seems to be related to his death.

>The skin around Saihara's nostrils and his lips  
Exceeptionally pale. The only external sign that he might not have died from natural causes.

*** 

MONOKUMA: It's time to start the second trial of this killing game! Get excited, everyone! I want to see some enthusiasm! 

MONOKUMA: First, before we begin, let's go over the rules again, for those of you lot who might have forgotten! Pay attention! 

MONOKUMA: The class trial is supposed to determine who's the culprit this time! Everyone will present their arguments in order to figure out the identity of the murderer! 

MONOKUMA: When the time is up, you will vote for whoever you think is the culprit. Not voting is punishable by death, by the by, so don't try anything! 

MONOKUMA: If the majority of you votes correctly, the culprit alone will be executed. If you vote incorrectly, everybody except for the true villain will be executed! The culprit will then graduate and be allowed to leave the school and rejoin society! 

MONOKUMA: Don't count on any hints from me, but I might answer questions if they're relevant to the mechanics of the trial but won't help you too much otherwise! You're on your own, fuckers! 

MONOKUMA: Good luck, it's trial time! 

SHIROGANE: Just to makes sure before we start…there have been two murders, correct? Yumeno Himiko-san and Saihara Shuuichi-kun? 

MONOKUMA: Correct! 

CHABASHIRA: _(trembling)_ Who…who of you killed Yumeno-san? Come forward and face Tenko! Confess right now! 

SHIROGANE: _(gently)_ And whoever killed Saihara-kun, right… 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko doesn't care about that, although it is also cowardly to kill someone as helpless as Saihara-san! Whoever did that should challenge Tenko instead! 

YONAGA: Mr Killer, please raise your hand now! We won't judge if you admit to it now! 

SHIROGANE: We will! We will definitely judge! That's the point of the trial! 

IRUMA: We will judge you but not too harshly, because you'd save us a shitton of time to use on better things! Golden girl geniuses shouldn't be wastin’ time in an ugly basement like this. 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will not only judge, she will deliver punishment herself! Monokuma, let Tenko carry out the execution! 

SHIROGANE: Th-that's…a bit extreme… 

HARUKAWA: Anyway. Saihara's murderer, assuming there's two, will not be punished, correct? 

MONOKUMA: That's correct! 

OUMA: Wait, really? I didn't know that! That's so sad, poor detective-chan died for nothing and nobody cares! It would be sad - if I cared, at least! 

MOMOTA: _(punching his own chest)_ I care! So we really aren't going to punish whoever killed Saihara… That's so fucking unfair! 

HARUKAWA: Fair or unfair, what matters is that we don't need to concern ourselves with that right now. You have to accept that and contribute to the trial, or sit in silence and let us actually solve the case. It's not like you contributed to the investigation much, did you? 

MONOKUMA: Oooooh! 

MOMOTA: How can you be so cold, Harukawa? If we don't do anything about this, it's like he died in vain! I don't give a shit if Monokuma doesn't think it counts, he still died, and his murderer is going to get off scot-free! 

HARUKAWA: I don't see why that should matter right now. Your sense of vigilante justice is not helping anybody. If you wish, you can hunt the killer down after the trial. Besides, it's entirely possible that there's only one killer, and it's just as likely as there being two. We shouldn't lose focus so early into the trial. Just go over the evidence we have and see where it leads us. Getting emotional is not the way.

SHINGUUJI: That's true. We don't know nearly enough yet. We can't make too many assumptions. Let's examine the evidence and proceed from there. 

SHIROGANE: _(sweating)_ Y-yeah, I think we shouldn't get distracted right now, too… 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko thinks we should focus on finding Yumeno-san’s murderer above all else… 

MOMOTA: _(voice cracking)_ What the hell is wrong with you all? Chabashira, would you still be saying that if Yumeno was the one whose murderer was gonna get away with it? 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

AKAMATSU: I want to find Saihara-kun’s killer too. I don't think they should get away with it. But, right now, I don't think the best solution is to fight over it, Harukawa-san is right. Let's try to work together on this. And, you know…I think he would want us to solve the trial above all else. So let's do it, okay? 

OUMA: Wow, Akamatsu-chan, you can communicate with the dead? Impressive! No, wait, I lied. It's actually kinda lame. 

AKAMATSU: ... 

OUMA: Alsoooo, I don't understand what any of this means anyway, because I wasn't there when the bodies were found. Could someone give me a recap? I didn't even know that Saihara-chan’s murderer might get away with it, because none of you meanies told me! 

IRUMA: Yeah, I missed most of it too, so I have no idea what you shitheads are screeching about. Not like I care, but it's even more annoying to listen when I know jack shit. Don't tell the shitty twink anything, though, he was off doing who knows what so he only has himself to blame. 

OUMA: _(leaning towards Akamatsu)_ Explain it to me only so Iruma-chan can't hear, okay! She doesn't deserve it! 

IRUMA: _(under her breath)_ You little shit… 

KIIBO: I will repeat everything to you, Iruma-san, worry not! 

OUMA: Iruma-chan’s white knight strikes again! As lame as ever! 

TOUJOU: I suppose a summary of the events would be beneficial for everyone. Momota-kun and I spent most of the investigation guarding Saihara-kun’s body, so we didn't get to examine Yumeno-san’s body, after all. I would want to know more, so I can follow. 

SHIROGANE: _(pointing her finger up)_ That would give us all an equal opportunity to think! What a good idea! 

AKAMATSU: I've investigated both of the bodies, so I guess I can try to share what I know, supported by the Monokuma File, if nobody minds. 

HARUKAWA: _(firmly, looking at Akamatsu)_ As long as we don't spend too much time on this. Akamatsu, stick to the facts here. Nobody needs to hear how emotional you are about the deaths. 

OUMA: Harukawa-chan is so cold! Nishishi, I almost wish she took over for the first trial, too. 

AKAMATSU: First, Saihara-kun. He was found by Momota-kun and Toujou-san in his bedroom, around the time when the rest of us found Yumeno-san’s body. He seems to have died in his own bed. The file states that his internal organs have been damaged, and the only external damage was older, probably from when we found him on the floor… 

SHIROGANE: _(muttering, hugging herself)_ It's so shameful that he let himself be attacked twice like that. What kind of a detective is so careless? Akechi Kogoro would never allow that. 

MOMOTA: What…? 

SHIROGANE: You don't know Akechi Kogoro, Momota-kun? He's a legendary-

MOMOTA: No, and I don't care to know! Stop mumbling to yourself about some fictional bullshit, it's creepy! 

AKAMATSU: ...all I found that I think might be a clue was some saliva on his pillow. 

OUMA: Nishishi, Saihara-chan drools in his sleep! Groooooss. 

AKAMATSU: ...as for Yumeno-san…when we found her, she was covered in cloth, which I removed. Also, she had duct tape over her mouth and nose, presumably making it impossible to breathe. She also had her arms tied behind her back, tying her to the display where the skeleton used to be. Her arms…were twisted unnaturally. 

CHABASHIRA: ... _(sniffling)_

AKAMATSU: According to the file, she also has internal injuries, her lungs specifically. I think that's everything I can remember. 

OUMA: Thanks, Akamatsu-chan! I could read the file myself but it didn't mention Saihara-chan’s gross drooly pillow, so I'm glad you added that detail. I think that's what will allow us to solve the case. 

KIIBO: It was informative, although I cannot begin to understand the injuries, since my body is constructed in a radically different way. I don't think I'll be that much help in this regard… 

IRUMA: _(hugging herself, drooling)_ I'll let you see any part of my body you want after the trial! For your database. 

KIIBO: Thank you, Iruma-san, I'm always looking to learn more! 

AKAMATSU: ... 

OUMA: By the way, how did the culprit get inside Saihara-chan’s room? I thought Toujou-chan had it. Unless, of course, Toujou-chan…

TOUJOU: I lost the key sometime before I went to collect Saihara-kun’s tray. Nobody has been able to find it since. I'm afraid that if we don't find it…we won't be able to solve the murder. Because…of my incompetence. 

AKAMATSU: Toujou-san… 

OUMA: Hmm…I see. That's too bad! Moving on! 

SHIROGANE: Ah, actually, there's something I've been wondering about. I wonder if they died in the same order we found them in. Not that it m-matters but… 

TOUJOU: It might matter. We can't tell which details are unimportant yet. The bodies were found around the same time, but it would help to establish when they actually died…

AKAMATSU: According to the file, Saihara-kun died sometime after 10am, and Yumeno-san died around 10am. That suggests that Yumeno-san probably died first, but I think it's still ambiguous in a way… For now, let's assume that's the case, though. At least we can confirm that Yumeno-san’s body was found first, even without Monokuma’s testimony, right, Momota-kun? Toujou-san? 

MOMOTA: Eh, me? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. You said the first announcement played right when you were opening the door, and the second one played when you brought me over to look at the body. That means that I was the person who activated the announcement. 

MOMOTA: Oh, right.

TOUJOU: I suppose it's useful to establish that Monokuma is not lying, but we have to build alibis around the time of death instead, which might prove difficult. 

SHIROGANE: Before we do that, I just thought of something…is it possible that one of them killed the other? Or that it was a double suicide? Or two completely unrelated suicides? 

HOSHI: I think we should tackle the options one by one…they don't seem too plausible, though. 

SHINGUUJI: We're going to assume that Yumeno-san killing Saihara-kun is impossible, correct? According to the assumed death order, that is. 

HOSHI: Unless she pulled some sort of a delayed murder method, yeah, doesn't sound possible. 

IRUMA: She might have fuckin’ cursed him or something! Used some die-in-thirty-minutes spell or some shit! 

AKAMATSU: ... 

HOSHI: I'm not sure if that's what I had in mind, but that doesn't matter anyway… How about the other way around, then? We have to go through all possibilities to be thorough, I guess. 

KIIBO: This way, we will eliminate implausible solutions early! Very efficient. 

YONAGA: _(tapping her chin)_ Hmmm, Shuuichi killing Himiko? Angie wonders about that. Hm, hm. 

CHABASHIRA: _(clenching her fists)_ In that case, it would be lucky for him that he's already dead! Tenko wouldn't be so merciful if he was here! 

SHIROGANE: D-death is merciful now? Is that what you're saying? 

HARUKAWA: _(rolling her eyes)_

IRUMA: _(cackling)_ Someone mercy killed him so he wouldn't have to face Chabashira’s wrath!

HOSHI: ... 

AKAMATSU: Back on track…I don't think it's possible that Saihara-kun would kill Yumeno-san. It doesn't make much sense, I think. 

SHIROGANE: Ah, does it not? I guess so, after all…

AKAMATSU: Well, Saihara-kun couldn't really walk out of his room. He couldn't use his legs quite yet, right Toujou-san? 

TOUJOU: Indeed. He was still weak after the coma he had just woken up from. That's why I brought him breakfast - he wouldn't be able to make it to the cafeteria. 

YONAGA: _(gasping)_ But what if he killed Himiko in his room! 

IRUMA: How the fuck would that work, you fuckin’ dolt? Did he tell her to come, kill her and then ask her dead body to walk itself out? Not gonna lie, that would be a good party trick. 

OUMA: I'd wanna see that. I'd especially like to see dead Yumeno-chan tie herself to the display stand and throw cloth over herself. That's the best trick she would have pulled in her life! 

YONAGA: Angie thinks that there's no chance this happened, then! Good thing we made sure to think about it! 

HOSHI: That leaves suicide as an option we have to discuss. There's a lot more to suicide than just the plausibility of the method or the timing. We would have to consider if it's likely that they wanted to commit suicide. The problem with that is that sometimes you can't tell if someone is suicidal or not. 

SHINGUUJI: It's still worth a try to remember what state they were in when they were last seen alive. It might give us an important clue. 

TOUJOU: That is true. Last time we saw Saihara-kun, he didn't seem depressed in the slightest. 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. He actually was pretty excited about his recovery…he definitely didn't seem suicidal to me.

HARUKAWA: Not that it matters, but he suffocated to death. It could very well have been an accident, but I'm positive someone smothered him with his own pillow. It doesn't seem like it could be a suicide. 

AKAMATSU: That would explain the saliva on the pillow, actually…

HARUKAWA: And the paleness of the skin around his nostrils. Lack of oxygen tends to have that effect. 

AKAMATSU: Considering that the file says that his lungs were damaged…I guess there's no other option.

HARUKAWA: Can we move on from his death now? I don't think there's anything more that needs to be said about it. 

MOMOTA: You're starting to sound like you're the one who murdered him… Why are you so eager to move on from his death? How do you know so much about it, anyway? 

HARUKAWA: You're free to think I'm suspicious. I can't do anything about that. All I needed to determine the cause of death was taking one look at the body. It's your ignorance that's unhelpful right now. 

MOMOTA: Don't turn it around on me! 

OUMA: It's pretty easy to know it once you see it. Harukawa-chan is still super suspicious though. 

HARUKAWA: Thanks. Can we move on now? 

AKAMATSU: What we need to think about now is Yumeno-san’s death. 

HOSHI: She didn't seem too happy when I last saw her. She was miserable, but I have no idea why. Looking back, I wish I helped her more. 

AKAMATSU: Me too. I should have been there for her more. But…I don't think we should be thinking about our guilt now. We need to figure out who killed her, above all else. 

SHINGUUJI: Indeed. She seemed rather bothered since the previous trial. 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko noticed that too, and she tried to get Yumeno-san to open up about it…but she wouldn't. Tenko and Akamatsu-san and Hoshi-san all tried to help her get whatever was bothering her off her chest, but we failed…and now, Tenko will…never know... _(weeping into her hands)_

HOSHI: ... 

AKAMATSU: Chabashira-san…I think I know what was bothering Yumeno-san. Angie-san knows as well. 

YONAGA: Oh, it's Angie's turn to know things? Divine! Yes, yes, she knows exactly what was on Himiko’s mind! 

CHABASHIRA: _(still sobbing)_ R-really? Please…tell Tenko. But…why did she confess it to you and not… 

AKAMATSU: ... 

AKAMATSU: Angie-san, could you please tell everyone what you told me? 

OUMA: _(excitedly)_ Oooooh, this is getting interesting!

SHIROGANE: You probably shouldn't be this happy about it… 

YONAGA: Himiko came to Angie in the middle of the night, because she couldn't sleep. 

IRUMA: Oooooooh, did you do anything nasty? C’mon spill the beans! But know that if you did, I hate you! How dare you get luckier than me! 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

YONAGA: Himiko just came to talk, Miu. It wasn't nasty at all. Well, it was nasty because Himiko was bothered by it! 

HARUKAWA: Could we skip the long introduction and get to the point? Monokuma can force us to vote at any moment. 

MONOKUMA: I sure can! When you least expect it! 

YONAGA: Himiko told Angie that she feels like she's responsible for the previous murder! That's what she felt so bad about! 

SHIROGANE: _(sweating)_ I'm afraid I don't see how that makes sense…wasn't Amami-kun the responsible one? Since he was the killer? That's usually how it works? Unless…she's the one who supposedly tricked Gonta! That would actually make sense!

YONAGA: _(clasping her hands, bouncing on her feet)_ No, no, she didn't do that! During our sleepover, Himiko tried to cast a spell that would protect us all night! But she thought it backfired, keeping us safe at the cost of another life - Gonta's. So, she thought that Gonta was killed in order for us to stay safe. That's how Angie understood it, at least! Himiko felt really bad about it. 

SHIROGANE: _(nodding)_ Ah, the equivalent exchange in magic…I guess Gonta-kun was big enough to work in exchange for all of you… 

IRUMA: What the shit is that supposed to mean? Are you bonkers? You believe in that shit? If anything, we can expect more people to drop dead soon. Then again, she's dead already so maybe the curse is broken. Who fuckin’ knows. 

MOMOTA: _(shuddering)_ S-so…she accidentally cursed him? Don't be stupid, that's not a thing…was she really so worried over something s-so obviously unrealistic… 

CHABASHIRA: What did you say, Momota-san? 

IRUMA: Oh shit…you're dead, Momota, and you damn well deserve it, gyahaha!

CHABASHIRA: Iruma-san, you're taking Yumeno-san’s death too lightly too! All of you are suspecting her of doing things she never would… Her magic would be powerful enough to curse anyone, but Tenko knows she would never do that, not even on accident! Yumeno-san had a good heart… The fact she was worried about this proves that! Yumeno-san didn't want to hurt anyone, and now she's dead! 

IRUMA: _(panicked)_ Sorry, sorry! Please don't hurt me! I repent! 

AKAMATSU: Chabashira-san, that's not all. I think there's more to Yumeno-san’s worries than just the previous trial. 

CHABASHIRA: Huh? Wh-what is it! Please, tell Tenko everything! 

AKAMATSU: You won't like hearing any of this… 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko is ready to hear whatever you have to say, Akamatsu-san. Don't hesitate. 

AKAMATSU: …

It's time to bring out the evidence. It's necessary, but it might hurt. Perhaps everyone else's opinions will help make sense of it. 

AKAMATSU: _(taking the envelope out of her sweater vest)_ This is it.

SHIROGANE: _(shuddering)_ Wh-what is…?

HOSHI: _(sighing)_ ...the motive…isn't it? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. I found this envelope in her dorm. It was opened when I found it, so Yumeno-san definitely read the contents. And I think, it might have pushed her to something… 

SHINGUUJI: Could you read it out loud for us? 

CHABASHIRA: Yes, please do that, Akamatsu-san. 

KIIBO: That would be helpful. I cannot imagine what must the contains be if they led to Yumeno-san’s death… 

AKAMATSU: Fine…there are multiple newspaper clippings in this envelope. They're all about more or less the same thing, so I'm just going to read an excerpt, if you don't mind. I think that should explain enough. 

SHINGUUJI: By all means, go ahead. We trust your judgement. 

AKAMATSU: ‘A young magician (name unknown) was found to be a con artist. The supposed magical items sold by said person were found to not work. On top of that…’ then there's a long list of other things they found out, and then… ‘The con artist had disappeared from the area before they could be confronted. If you see someone who matches the description, inform the authorities.’ 

SHIROGANE: C-con artist? Yumeno-san? 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

OUMA: Yumeno-chan is a con artist? Now I wish I could talk to her more! Maybe I should have recruited her instead of Akamatsu-chan! 

CHABASHIRA: Don't you dare even think about it! 

AKAMATSU: You didn't recruit me for anything! 

CHABASHIRA: Akamatsu-san, could Tenko see the envelope? She just...wants to see for herself… 

AKAMATSU: Oh, of course. I'll pass it to you. (handing the envelope over) 

IRUMA: Not to be that guy, but…she wanted to die over that? Is that what you're implying, Bakamatsu? 

AKAMATSU: I think it's a possibility, yeah… I mean, if I read things like that about myself, I would probably start to feel kind of bad about myself. 

IRUMA: Here's the thing, what makes you so sure it's about her? Chabashira, can I take a look? 

CHABASHIRA: This doesn't make sense…

IRUMA: Gimme the deets right fuckin’ now, I wanna check something! 

CHABASHIRA: _(passing the envelope to Iruma hesitantly)_ I don't understand… 

IRUMA: _(triumphantly)_ Ha, golden girl genius is right as always! Suck on that! 

HOSHI: What did you find, Iruma? I think I know where this is going. 

YONAGA: _(cheerfully)_ Angie has absolutely no idea what's going on! 

IRUMA: There's no fuckin’ pictures here. None at all. And they don't actually describe the person in the excerpts that we can actually see. This shit could be about anyone! Hell, with how many pieces there are, it might be about twenty different people for all we know!

CHABASHIRA: So…Yumeno-san isn't a con artist? Tenko was right? 

IRUMA: Oh, all magic is totally fake. She's still a con artist by definition. But I doubt she has enough brains to realise it. I mean...I definitely don't believe any of it. 

HOSHI: Weren't you the one to say that Yumeno cursed us? 

MOMOTA: Yeah, what's up with that? 

OUMA: Iruma-chan doesn't have an opinion on anything unless it's convenient, if you guys haven't realised yet. It's the way of the opportunist with no spine! 

IRUMA: Fuck off! Aren't you the fakest fuckin’ guy here? You're one to talk! Keep my name out of your mouth, you shitty rat. 

OUMA: Oh, I never said that's a bad thing! Real knows real, fake knows fake, you know? That's why I like you sooooo much! Actually, not at all. That was a lie. You're terrible. 

IRUMA: Back at you, fucker. 

SHINGUUJI: I don't think it's wise to say magic doesn't exist. Whether Yumeno-san could use it or not is a different story, though. It's hard to tell. As for the clippings, Iruma-san makes a good point. I suppose they might have been prepared this way on purpose. 

HOSHI: I think so, too. If you saw them, your first assumption would be that they're about Yumeno. That was probably her first assumption, too. 

SHINGUUJI: That's odd, actually. If she knew that she's not a fraud, she would assume they can't be about her, correct? 

AKAMATSU: This is somehow getting more confusing… 

TOUJOU: Perhaps she assumed that someone was lying about her, though. 

SHIROGANE: Oh, like someone was trying to sabotage her, so they convinced everyone that she's a fake! That makes sense! 

TOUJOU: Precisely. 

HARUKAWA: There's only one person who knows for sure if the newspaper clippings are fake or not. And that's Monokuma, but I doubt he'd tell us anything. 

MONOKUMA: You're right, I'm not gonna tell you anything! Maybe I'll reveal my secrets if someone graduates, but until then - live in uncertainty, bastards! All I can tell you is I didn't make them - they're all from real newspapers. 

AKAMATSU: I don't think we'll ever know for sure. But, I definitely think that, no matter the reason, we can agree that the envelope contributed to her bad mood. Let's leave it at that. 

CHABASHIRA: Would that mean that she committed suicide? Why…why would she not tell anybody about it…we would understand and help her… 

OUMA: We don't know if she didn't tell anyone! Actually, didn't she tell Angie-chan? 

CHABASHIRA: Then… _(sniffling)_

AKAMATSU: A-anyway...I wonder if it's possible for her to have committed suicide. On a technical level. It doesn't seem right. 

HARUKAWA: You're thinking of the state of the body, aren't you? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, exactly. 

MOMOTA: What do you mean by that? 

HARUKAWA: Give us a reminder of how you found the body, Akamatsu. Someone can't remember, apparently. 

AKAMATSU: There are three aspects of the corpse that I think we should pay attention to. First, the duct tape over her mouth and nose. Then, the rope around her wrists, tying her to the pole that used to make the skeleton ‘stand. And finally, the cloth covering the body.

MOMOTA: I got all that. She could have put the tape on her own face, right? 

HOSHI: Probably. She would immediately start suffocating, though. That tape is no joke. 

HARUKAWA: Yeah, I believe that she would have died in fifteen minutes at best with that tape. What's bothering me here is the rope. It's near impossible to tie your hands behind your back like that by yourself. And that rope was tight on top of that - someone definitely did it for her. 

AKAMATSU: There's the cloth, too. No matter how I slice it, I can't imagine Yumeno-san throwing it over herself with her hands tied, or her tying her hands while under the cloth. 

HOSHI: So we can definitely say it's not suicide. 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. But I think it can be something similar… 

SHINGUUJI: Are you thinking of assisted suicide, Akamatsu-san? 

SHIROGANE: Assisted…suicide?

SHINGUUJI: Such as someone's lover or friend decapitating them at their request. Usually it is a matter of honour or not being able to do it yourself for health reasons. 

OUMA: Obviously! They might botch it, so I wouldn't recommend it. Also, killing yourself for honour? Tch, that's lame. But it sounds like it could fit Yumeno-chan’s situation since she thought she's a fraud or whatever. 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. The idea occurred to me just now… Monokuma, what are the rules on suicide and assisted suicide? 

MONOKUMA: Suicide still counts as murder, obviously. You're taking the most precious life of all - your own. Assisted suicide, while we call it suicide, still means that someone else dealt the final blow. In my books, that makes the person a murderer, and they would count as the culprit. 

HARUKAWA: Just out of curiosity, who would you execute in the case of a suicide? Considering in that case the culprit would be dead already. 

MONOKUMA: One of you, at random. Probably Akamatsu-san, she asks too many questions! 

AKAMATSU: Hey! 

IRUMA: As long as it's not me, we're good! 

MONOKUMA: Maybe I should just execute all of you? That sounds fair. 

AKAMATSU: Anyway…I think it might be a case of an assisted suicide. But, regardless, we still have to find the culprit. 

SHIROGANE: That's true...now that we eliminated all the other possibilities, we have to figure out who actually did it. The hardest part… 

Akamatsu looked around the courtroom. She felt like the trial didn't progress much at all in the direction of finding the killer. She couldn't tell who it was, but she felt like once they get down to the details, it's going to be easy. 

Someone here was lying to her. Lying to everyone else. Someone here…killed Yumeno Himiko. Someone also killed Saihara Shuuichi. She still couldn't tell if both of those deeds were carried out by the same person, or two separate people. Soon enough, she was going to find out for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note: Akechi Kogoro is a character created by Edogawa Ranpo. He's the most famous and iconic fictional Japanese detective. The short stories about him are available online. 
> 
> Anyway, it was Akamatsu's birthday yesterday, tomorrow is mine. My gift to her is having to work through dumbass theories.
> 
> I get the feeling that I messed up and made the trial a bunch of nothing. Oh well. Hope you enjoy this longass chapter, guys!


	23. Chapter 2: Trial 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so we're clear, this is not an April Fools chapter. I still have to add the comic later...........bluh.  
> Enjoy!

Akamatsu clenched her fists and took a few deep breaths. She needed a small break to collect her thoughts, but all that was on her mind was the crushing realisation that Monokuma could make them all vote at any moment. She had to hurry and find the culprit at all costs before the sadistic bear could torture them.

For Yumeno's sake and Saihara's. They couldn't fight their own fight anymore. She had to fight for justice for them with all she had.

AKAMATSU: I think, now that we established for sure that it wasn't a suicide, it would be a good time to hear what everyone was doing at the time of Yumeno-san's murder, so we know who has an alibi and who doesn't.

CHABASHIRA: _(pumping her fist)_ Yes, definitely! It will reveal which of you menaces is guilty, since you're too cowardly to admit it!

SHIROGANE: _(hesitantly)_ Chabashira-san...um, it's possible that the murderer is a woman...

CHABASHIRA: _(shuddering)_ Tenko can't imagine a girl committing such a disgusting crime!

HOSHI: _(diplomatically)_ We'll see about that. The murder happened around 10am, right? We should probably start there. A lot of us were at breakfast at the time, so we can vouch for each other. We've all been there since just after 9am, and Toujou arrived even earlier.

AKAMATSU: That's true. Angie-san and I left the cafteria just after 10am.

YONAGA: Yep, yep! That's true! And we were together the entire time! Angie and Kaede went straight upstairs from the cafeteria!

AKAMATSU: _(sweating)_ Repeating it like that almost makes us sound suspicious...

YONAGA: But it's just the truth! How can anyone suspect us because of that?

HARUKAWA: Monokuma, how would you handle a co-op murder, two people plotting to kill someone together? Would they both be executed?

AKAMATSU: _(shocked)_ Are you for real?!

MONOKUMA: Whoever deals the last blow is the culprit! But, don't overthink it. This murder wasn't a co-op in that sense at all. Harukawa-san, you sure suspect everyone! Don't you trust your friends?

HARUKAWA: I don't see why I should. These people aren't my friends, no matter how much they believe otherwise. In any case, I guess you two are off the hook, for now.

AKAMATSU: I would never murder anyone! Anyway...the other people who were at breakfast and therefore have alibis for the time of the murder...Momota-kun, Hoshi-kun, Ouma-kun. Toujou-san, Shirogane-san, Chabashira-san.

IRUMA: You can actually confirm that all ya losers were together that entire time? Don't buy that. 

OUMA: Oh? Where were you, by the way, Iruma-chan? 

IRUMA: Sh-shut it! None of yer business, shithead! 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, well. After Angie-san and I left, Chabashira-san kept track of everybody. The only moments we're unsure of are too late to really count for anything… According to Chabashira-san and Hoshi-kun, they lost track of Ouma-kun right before going upstairs, so...

TOUJOU: That's true. Everyone was there around the time Akamatsu-san left the cafeteria. 

AKAMATSU: So then, everyone else…Angie-san and I ran into Shinguuji-kun and Kiibo-kun on the second floor. They had set up the chairs in the music room, for the audience. They did it in advance so we wouldn't have to worry about that. Kiibo-kun, you said you didn't take long to do it, right? 

KIIBO: Correct! I don't know how much time we spent exactly, but Shinguuji-kun came to ask for my help shortly before 10am, according to the clocksin the classrooms we got the chairs from. 

SHINGUUJI: That sounds right. I didn't keep track of time, but we definitely arrived upstairs right before 10am. After we were joined by Akamatsu-san, we stayed upstairs until Chabashira-san arrived with the news about Yumeno-san. 

AKAMATSU: So, you both have alibis for the timeframe. 

KIIBO: It would appear so! Thank goodness. I couldn't hurt a human being, so I don't need an alibi, but it's a relief either way! 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, that sounds about right. Then, that leaves, outside of the deceased…Harukawa-san and Iruma-san. 

All eyes looked from one girl to the other with clear suspicion. Akamatsu paused, breathing deeply. Was one of them…really the culprit? If so, which one? 

CHABASHIRA: _(dejectedly)_ So…the murder was the doing of a girl after all? Tenko cannot believe that… How is that possible? 

MOMOTA: (pointing his finger) Well, you better believe it! I told you all that Harukawa was suspicious! I knew something was up with that! 

HARUKAWA: _(calmly)_ Weren't you trying to accuse me of the other murder, not this one? You could at least stay consistent in your accusations. Besides, you're forgetting that Iruma is just as suspicious. 

IRUMA: E-eh? I didn't fuckin’ do it, get off my case, edgy bitch! 

OUMA: That's sooooo convincing! I totally believe that you're innocent, Iruma-chan.

KIIBO: Of course, Iruma-san wouldn't ever do it! Perish that thought! 

MOMOTA: _(agitated)_ Shut the fuck up, all of you, I'm talking to her! You easily could have offed them both! Don't change the subject and blame others! 

HARUKAWA: _(shrugging)_ I could have. The murder methods in both cases are similar - they don't require much strength, and they both involve asphyxiation, as far as I can tell. Unfortunately for you, I didn't commit either of them. If you don't want to get us all executed, maybe you should try to actually use your head for once. 

MOMOTA: Are you really expecting me not to find it suspicious? What were you doing then? 

HOSHI: Even if we didn't suspect you, Harukawa, we still need to know what you were doing. For transparency’s sake. We all have to know what everyone was doing. 

SHIROGANE: It would surely make things easier… 

HARUKAWA: _(after a pause)_ Fine. I have no reason not to do that. First thing in the morning, I was woken up by Yonaga. Shortly before the first body discovery announcement played, I was visited by Chabashira. I told her I would come to the event you were planning. Between those two events, I was reading and thinking. I don't really have evidence of either. 

YONAGA: Oh, oh! Angie can confirm that she saw Maki in the morning! She wasn't very happy to see Angie, though. She never is. 

HARUKAWA: You do realise that everyone hates your curfew, right? It's not just me, I just don't bother to pretend I'm fine with it. You should drop it after the trial. 

YONAGA: ... 

IRUMA: Gyahaha, tell ‘em! I can't wait to drop this shitty useless rule altogether! 

HARUKAWA: _(glaring)_ Don't interrupt me. 

IRUMA: Eek! 

OUMA: _(leaning forward curiously)_ What were you reading, Harukawa-chan? 

HARUKAWA: _(sarcastically)_ Beginner’s Guide to Asphyxiation. Needed to prepare for my big moment, you know. Make sure that I won't mess it up and get caught. 

MOMOTA: Hey… 

OUMA: Oh, spicy! That's definitely a favourite of mine. You know, a supreme leader has a lot of people to dispose of… 

HARUKAWA: Don't compare yourself to me. Also, drop the act. Nobody believes you're powerful in any way. 

OUMA: Boohoo…you will sooooo regret this, Harukawa-chan! 

HARUKAWA: I'm sure. 

MOMOTA: You're not really making a good case for yourself, you know? Do you want us to vote for you?

HARUKAWA: What else am I supposed to tell you? I really did spend the morning reading and thinking. You can keep questioning me, but that won't lead you anywhere. Voting for me would be a mistake, but I can't really stop you if you want to die so badly. 

TOUJOU: We should avoid making hasty decisions regarding the voting. We can't risk making a mistake that would cost us our lives. 

SHIROGANE: She's so unconvincing that it's convincing somehow… I don't think she'd do it without having some sort of an alibi.

OUMA: Unlike Iruma-chan, who would definitely do it without one! Right, Iruma-chan? 

IRUMA: _(taking a step back)_ Wh-what the fuck are you talking about? I didn't do shit! 

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san…I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, but...if Kiibo-kun left with Shinguuji-kun…that would mean you were by yourself when the murder happened. 

IRUMA: ... 

SHIROGANE: Ah, Kiibo-kun was with Iruma-san in the warehouse before that, right? That would make sense… 

IRUMA: Y-yeah, we were together all morning! I was makin’ upgrades for him when maskface came and asked him to help with whatever-the-shit! Kiibs can confirm that I wasn't up to anything! Right? 

KIIBO: ... 

IRUMA: _(whispering)_ Kiibs…? What...what's up? 

KIIBO: _(weakly, avoiding eye contact)_ My apologies, Iruma-san…I just need to think for a bit…for the sake of fairness. I have to make sure I do not miscalculate. 

IRUMA: _(weakly)_ Kiibs, you don't…trust me? 

OUMA: The white knight has retired! Iruma-chan was too awful even for him!

IRUMA: _(misty-eyed)_ Sh-shut up… 

SHIROGANE: She's too distressed to talk back like usual…the guilt must be overwhelming. I can't even imagine… 

IRUMA: _(hiccuping)_ I'm not…guilty…shut up…

KIIBO: I did not notice anything suspicious when we were at the warehouse. I can definitely say that. However, I'm not sure how it computes with…the other facts about the case. I can't imagine Iruma-san committing murder. 

IRUMA: Oh, Kiibs… I knew you would believe me… _(sniffles)_

SHINGUUJI: One person's belief in you doesn't solve the case, though. There are still questions that need to be answered. 

SHIROGANE: Yeah, like who stole the skeleton! 

SHINGUUJI: ...Excuse me? 

SHIROGANE: You know, the skeleton from the Bio Lab? I ran into it in the bathroom on the second floor…I've been wondering who put it there…and when. 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, and it was gone when I looked inside the bathroom during the investigation. Someone must have taken it, but I have no idea where they hid it… 

OUMA: Oh, that was me. 

AKAMATSU: ...Huh? 

MOMOTA: Are you fucking with us again, you shithead? 

OUMA: Nope. Why would I lie about that? I just stole the skeleton, nishishi~

SHIROGANE: Both times…?

OUMA: Yuppers! I stole it from the Bio Lab last evening and threw it into the girls’ room on the second floor. When I was investigating, I grabbed it back! Simple as that. 

CHABASHIRA: Wait a second, Ouma-san…you went inside the girls’ room? 

OUMA: Nah, I would rather die than do that. I just threw it in, y'know. 

AKAMATSU: You know, I believe that he'd do that. I might regret asking, but…why? 

OUMA: Well, I needed to get rid of it to put Yumeno-chan’s body there! I couldn't just have her corpse cuddling up to a skeleton! Actually, now that I think about it…that sounds cool. I should have done that. Oh well! 

CHABASHIRA: You…! Don't you dare talk about Yumeno-san like that! Or at all! How could you! 

AKAMATSU: ... 

IRUMA: I told you I didn't do anything! This shitty twink did it, see? He even admitted to it like Chabashira wanted! C-can everyone leave me the fuck alone now. 

AKAMATSU: No…not really. Ouma-kun couldn't have done that. No matter how I try to imagine it…it doesn't make sense. He's just lying. 

CHABASHIRA: Akamatsu-san, are you defending him? 

AKAMATSU: No. But I know he's messing with us for some reason. I don't know why he's doing this, but I couldn't have done this. 

MOMOTA: What makes you so sure? 

HOSHI: I'd assume it's the fact he was at breakfast with us when the murder happened. 

MOMOTA: Damn. That is pretty solid. But why is he fucking with us?! What kinda sick fucking bastard are you, Ouma? 

OUMA: The worst kind! Akamatsu-chan, you got me. That was a lie. I put the skeleton in the bathroom because I wanted to scare someone. And then I took it to my room. 

SHIROGANE: Is that really it? That's so underwhelming…

IRUMA: Ugh, I don't believe this li'l shit wasn't planning anything. Why'd you give him an alibi, Bakamatsu? 

AKAMATSU: It's not my fault that he has one! If he tried to sneak out of the cafeteria, he'd run into Angie-san and me… Back to you, though… 

SHIROGANE: Ah, right…we weren't done questioning Iruma-san. It's pretty obvious that she did it… 

TOUJOU: I belirve that, even though neither Harukawa-san nor Iruma-san have an alibi, more points towards Iruma-san being able to commit the murder of Yumeno-san. 

IRUMA: Hey...you're not on my side either…? What the fuck is wrong with you and Kiibs...all of you…

TOUJOU: ... 

AKAMATSU: There is something to that, though. The warehouse is closer to the Bio Lab than the dorms are…and since most of us were in the cafeteria, there was a chance one of us would be going out and notice someone walking over from the dorm area…while it would be impossible to notice anything happening from the other end of the hall. 

HOSHI: It might be a reach to say that we would hear anyone from around the table, especially with everyone talking and eating…but someone could have gone to the bathroom, or Toujou could have left to check on Saihara at any moment. It would definitely be more risky to approach this from that side. 

TOUJOU: Additionally, Iruma-san could have taken the tape and rope from the warehouse at any moment. 

AKAMATSU: That's a good point too, but I think she used almost all of the rope in the warehouse on the shibari machine. 

OUMA: Iruma-chan, can I inherit that machine after you're executed? 

IRUMA: No, fuck off! I'll leave it to Bakamatsu! 

AKAMATSU: I don't want it! 

OUMA: We can share! Or you can hand it over to me! 

IRUMA: No, don't even fuckin’ think about it! Bakamatsu, don't even let him touch it! 

OUMA: Is that you admitting that you're about to be executed, Iruma-chan? 

IRUMA: _(aftet a pause)_ N-no…I didn't fuckin’ do it...why would I want to kill what's her face…narcolepsumeno… I didn't have any beef with her. I don't think we ever even talked! 

AKAMATSU: Just to be sure, your shibari machine couldn't have been used for this, right? 

IRUMA: It's in my room, nor the warehouse. And it doesn't even fucking work like that, I swear that! I can even show you plebs! 

HARUKAWA: Even if the machine wasn't used, the rope could have come from anywhere else. It doesn't make you innocent. 

IRUMA: _(sniffling)_ Why do you fuckers think it's me…I was just minding my own business…trying to finish the upgrades for Kiibs…is someone here trying to frame this gorgeous girl genius? (tears start rolling down her cheeks) Who the fuck is it… _(breaking down crying)_

AKAMATSU: ... 

KIIBO: I don't believe that Iruma-san would do something like that…but I can't see any other possibility. 

AKAMATSU: I think…I might have an idea. 

SHIROGANE: Really? I though it's obvious it has to be her…who else is left…? 

MOMOTA: She does seem pretty guilty to me…and those crocodile tears… 

OUMA: _(calmly, with a soft smile)_ Those aren't crocodile tears, Momota-chan. 

MOMOTA: What the fuck are you saying? 

OUMA: I told you before, right? Real knows real, fake knows fake. I can tell who's lying when I see it. Iruma-chan is crying for real. 

CHABASHIRA: Of course she's crying for real! Everyone jumped at her! 

MOMOTA: Chabashira, you don't think she killed Yumeno? 

CHABASHIRA: _(after a pause)_ No. Tenko doesn't think so…but she's not sure who could have done it. 

HOSHI: Akamatsu had an idea, didn't she? What was it? 

AKAMATSU: Oh, yeah, I thought of something…that makes me believe that Iruma-san couldn't have planned a murder at all. 

HOSHI: Let's hear it. 

AKAMATSU: See, there are still a lot of things that we aren't sure about, but I think we can be pretty sure that Iruma-san couldn't have planned a murder for that timeframe, for a simple reason. She didn't expect that she'd be alone in the warehouse. 

SHIROGANE: Huh? What do you mean? 

HOSHI: I think that she's referencing what Kiibo said. That Shinguuji came and asked Kiibo for help. Iruma couldn't have planned that. 

TOUJOU: That's true…Iruma-san expected Kiibo-kun to watch her work without interruption. Is that correct?

KIIBO: That's true! Iruma-san and I always work together in the warehouse. That is, she works, and I make sure she's not doing anything illegal. Recently, she started designing upgrades for me, so I was also there to model for her. 

OUMA: Kinky! But like, in a lame way. 

AKAMATSU: See, if Iruma-san wasn't planning to send Kiibo-kun away for a time…that means she'd leave a lot up to luck. It doesn't make sense, because I really don't think that the murder was a spontaneous type of thing… 

SHIROGANE: Assuming it really was assisted suicide, the culprit must have contacted Yumeno-san beforehand and had planned to meet her there… 

TOUJOU: Even if it wasn't assisted suicide and instead a trick pulled on Yumeno-san, it would still require a meeting time for both parties to show up in the Bio Lab. Indeed, Iruma-san doesn't appear to have planned anything like that. 

SHINGUUJI: Perhaps she overheard the culprit making plans with Yumeno-san, and decided to commit the murder herself? 

SHIROGANE: Ah, that's true! That is a possibility! 

HOSHI: That would be really risky, though. If she made it there, she would be discovered by the culprit, and probably killed along with Yumeno. 

MOMOTA: So are you telling me that none of us could have killed her? What the fuck? You realise that doesn't make any sense, right? 

IRUMA: All it means is, hic, I'm not the murderer, so fuck off! I'm, hic, being framed by some shithead! I'll kill them myself when, hic, I figure out which of you motherfuckers set me up! 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will help bring them to justice! First they murder and disrespect Yumeno-san, now they try to put the blame on Iruma-san…no, Tenko won't stand for that. 

SHIROGANE: Still, though, who did it? We didn't miss anyone when it comes to alibis for 10am…

AKAMATSU: That's where we're all wrong. 

SHIROGANE: What do you mean? 

HOSHI: You noticed something again, didn't you, Akamatsu? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. I've been thinking about something Harukawa-san said earlier in the trial. 

HARUKAWA: ... 

MOMOTA: Did she slip up or something? 

AKAMATSU: No, no…she pointed out something very helpful. I think we were wrong about the time of the murder. 

MOMOTA: Akamatsu, we can't really be wrong about it…the Monokuma File says it was committed around 10am. You can't argue with that. 

AKAMATSU: That's not the time the murder was committed, per se. It's time of death. And it's not even precise at all, which has been bothering me from the start…

MOMOTA: That sounds crazy…you can't separate the murder and the time of death, they're the same thing! 

HOSHI: I think she has a point. 

AKAMATSU: Your remark helped me too, Hoshi-kun, even though you made it in regards to Saihara-kun’s death. Both you and Harukawa-san are our keys to solving the case. 

SHIROGANE: Could you explain it for the rest of us, p-please? I have no idea what you're referring to. 

AKAMATSU: Earlier, when we were discussing the possibility of Yumeno-san killing Saihara-kun, Hoshi-kun brought up the chance that she used some sort of a delayed murder method, remember?

MOMOTA: I do remember, yeah…but that didn't go anywhere, did it?

HOSHI: It didn't because it's pretty obvious that it made no sense for Saihara's case. He was smothered with a pillow. The entire trick with that is holding the pillow against the victim's face until they stop breathing. You can't really delay anything here. 

HARUKAWA: Assuming he was asleep when it happened, it would have taken less than three minutes to kill him this way. It might have been possible to resurrect him via CPR if they didn't make sure he was dead, but I'm convinced that he did die then. 

AKAMATSU: It does, however, make sense to apply that to Yumeno-san’s death! 

HOSHI: I see. Because the tape would keep the air out and make her suffocate slowly. 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. Harukawa-san said that it would take about 15 minutes for her to run out of air. And the thing that makes it convenient for the killer, is that they wouldn't need to be there the entire time. 

SHIROGANE: What if she ripped the tape off while they're not here? 

AKAMATSU: Her hands were tied to the pole. She wouldn't have torn it off even if she wanted to. 

SHIROGANE: That's a good point...that actually explains why she was tied to the pole. 

AKAMATSU: So, what I'm getting at is…we had the timeframe all wrong for the alibis. We need to think about it carefully.

HOSHI: That makes sense.

AKAMATSU: The correct timeframe would be…fifteen minutes earlier, I guess. I'd say around half past nine is where we should start looking. 

TOUJOU: Everyone who was at breakfast still has their alibis intact. As I recall, we all gathered in the cafeteria shortly after nine.

HOSHI: True. We were all talking so it's easy to tell that we were all there. Even Ouma, so he still can't trick us into voting for him. 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. All our alibis are still intact. What changes is that Iruma-san and Kiibo-kun were still together in the warehouse. Harukawa-san is still without an alibi, but now Iruma-san is definitely off the hook. 

IRUMA: Fucking finally! Took ya long enough. 

AKAMATSU: However, it also means that Shinguuji-kun doesn't have the alibi provided by Kiibo-kun… 

SHINGUUJI: ... 

MOMOTA: So now it's between Harukawa and Shinguuji…

AKAMATSU: Angie-san. I need your help. Please, answer my questions thoroughly, okay? 

YONAGA: Of course, of course! Angie will do her best! 

AKAMATSU: You said that Shinguuji-kun told you he'll be taking care of the chairs, right? When exactly did he tell you that? 

AKAMATSU: Oh, when Angie came to wake him up in the morning! He offered to help with the chairs and Angie said it's a great idea! 

AKAMATSU: Okay…one more question for you, Angie-san… Yumeno-san spent the night in your dorm, right? When did she leave? 

YONAGA: Hmm…it was right before Angie went to check on everyone. Right before eight in the morning, Himiko said that she's going to go and will skip breakfast. That's how Angie remembers it! 

AKAMATSU: Thank you, Angie-san. That's very helpful. 

HOSHI: You're thinking… 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. I'm thinking that Yumeno-san didn't go back to her dorm that morning. She went to the Bio Lab, waiting for the culprit to come. 

CHABASHIRA: That's…that's awful! She must have been so scared there! 

SHIROGANE: Poor Yumeno-san…she couldn't confide in any of us… 

TOUJOU: More importantly, that means she end the culprit discussed the plan the day before at the latest. She already knew about her fate own in the morning. 

SHIROGANE: Ah, that's true...she avoided almost everyone, right? I really can't remember hearing about anyone talking to her in the past days… 

AKAMATSU: I can. And conveniently, it's one of our suspect. Said suspect basically admitted it to me while trying to deflect suspicion…

SHIROGANE: Oh? Who! 

Choose the suspicious person. 

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun. Do you remember? 

YONAGA: Korekiyo? Korekiyo talked to Himiko? Eh?

AKAMATSU: You were there when he tod us, Angie-san. Remember? He told us that Yumeno-san asked him to lend her his rope. Remember? 

YONAGA: Oh. Yup, he sure said that! Angie just didn't think it's suspicious or anything! 

HARUKAWA: You didn't find that suspicious? What planet are you from? 

OUMA: Shinguuji-chan totally had the line all along! 

AKAMATSU: He probably did. Angie-san, do you remember if Yumeno-san had the rope with her when she slept over? 

YONAGA: Angie…doesn't think so…but that doesn't mean anything, right? 

SHINGUUJI: Akamatsu-san, are you accusing me of something? 

AKAMATSU: Yes. Yumeno-san’s murder. 

SHINGUUJI: Interesting...and your proof is…? 

IRUMA: Jeez, he sure is calm about this shit. 

OUMA: It's much cooler than you making a show of yourself, crybaby! 

IRUMA: Shut the fuck up, you insect! 

AKAMATSU: Coolness won't help here. It doesn't make sense any other way. 

HOSHI: Let's hear it then.

SHINGUUJI: Yes, let's…so I can rebut all your accusations. 

AKAMATSU: The only thing I can't imagine yet is you making it from the dorms to the Bio Lab unnoticed…but it's entirely possible that you just picked the right moment. 

SHINGUUJI: The same, with all due respect, can be applied to Harukawa-san. 

HOSHI: It can, but I don't think that's what Akamatsu is trying to use as evidence against you. Let her speak. 

AKAMATSU: Harukawa-san did nothing to give herself an alibi, but it doesn't make sense for her to have committed the murder, when I can see a lot of deliberation in your actions. You, by your own admission, talked to Yumeno-san shortly before she died. You were involved in the event, so you knew that the morning would be rather chaotic… 

SHINGUUJI: If that's suspicious, you and the others are just as suspicious as myself, aren't you, Akamatsu-san? 

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun! Can you understand that all of these things separately aren't suspicious, but together you can't just explain them away? 

OUMA: Hey, Shinguuji-chan, what were you doing all morning? 

SHINGUUJI: Excuse me? 

OUMA: You know, between Angie-chan waking you up and you coming to grab Kiibo? You must have been doing something…

SHINGUUJI: I went upstairs and started preparing the music room,like I said I would. 

YONAGA: See, Angie told you! 

KIIBO: I'm sorry to interrupt but…that doesn't make sense. 

YONAGA: Huh? 

KIIBO: When Shinguuji-kun led me upstairs, I got to take a good look at the music room. Obviously, because we were placing the chairs inside. I did not notice anything different…there weren't any chairs inside before we started. Therefore, I'm not sure what Shinguuji-kun might have prepared before, but it wasn't noticeable at all. 

SHINGUUJI: ... 

IRUMA: Gyahaha, go Kiibo, go! Expose the bitch! 

TOUJOU: That's certainly self-explanatory. 

HOSHI: Yeah. I think we're done here. 

SHINGUUJI: Is that all you've got? 

SHIROGANE: H-huh? 

SHINGUUJI: It's too early to jump to conclusions, is it not? You should apologise for accusing me of the murder. 

MOMOTA: Hey, creep, you're over! Give up now! You're not going to intimidate us! 

IRUMA: _(whimpering)_ Y-yeah! 

AKAMATSU: There's too much stacked against you. I was suspicious for a while…since I realised that Iruma-san couldn't have planned anything like that…I realised that the one person who could have benefitted from Kiibo-kun’s disappearance from the warehouse…it was Shinguuji-kun. It was you all along. 

CHABASHIRA: Is that true, Shinguuji-san? Speak up now, you coward! Tenko will tear you to shreds! 

SHINGUUJI: ... 

YONAGA: ... 

CHABASHIRA: Come forward right now! 

SHINGUUJI: ... 

SHINGUUJI: _(hiding his face in his hands, running his fingernails down his cheeks)_ Kukuku… 

IRUMA: H-huh? 

YONAGA: ... 

CHABASHIRA: This is not the time to be laughing! 

MOMOTA: That's so gross… 

SHINGUUJI: KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKU… _(tearing his hands away from his face, hugging himself)_ Ah, I've been caught… I knew that it would come to this eventually… kukuku, I feel so…numb…

SHIROGANE: He admits it! 

MOMOTA: In the creepiest way possible! 

SHINGUUJI: Ah, there's no point in denying it anymore. Akamatsu-san saw right through me… 

SHIROGANE: He sure gave up easily… 

SHINGUUJI: One has to recognise when they lost. Akamatsu-san, I applaud you. 

AKAMATSU: Can I go through the entire case right now, before we vote? To make sure we got everything right? 

HOSHI: Go ahead, Akamatsu. 

TOUJOU: Please do, Akamatsu-san. We have to be very careful. 

AKAMATSU: This morning, Yumeno-san left Angie-san’s dorm before the morning announcement. Instead of her room, she went to the Bio Lab, where she hid, waiting for someone - the culprit. The culprit themself waited for the right moment to leave the dorms, when nobody was there to see them. 

AKAMATSU: They went over to the Bio Lab and met up with Yumeno-san. She had decided to let them kill her. The culprit tied her to the pole where the skeleton used to stand. 

AKAMATSU: Then, hey carefully taped her mouth and nose shut, so she couldn't scream for help or breathe. Then, when they were sure everything was ready, they threw cloth over her body, concealing it. Since previously the skeleton was covered with that cloth, nobody would have found that odd. 

AKAMATSU: The culprit, leaving the body behind to suffocate to death slowly, approached Kiibo-kun in the warehouse, asking him for help with decorating the music room and carrying the chairs. Kiibo-kun agreed, leaving Iruma-san by herself. The culprit knew that the time of death would align with the time when Iruma-san didn't have an alibi. 

AKAMATSU: The culprit then waited for me and Angie-san upstairs, knowing that we would confirm they weren't alone at the time of the murder. Shortly after, we found the body, having heard from Chabashira-san that Yumeno-san was nowhere to be found. 

AKAMATSU: And the culprit responsible for this terrible murder...is you, Shinguuji Korekiyo-kun, Super High School Level Ethnologist. 

AKAMATSU: Is that right? 

YONAGA: ... 

SHINGUUJI: Kukukukukukuku… 

SHIROGANE: You really shouldn't be laughing…right? right?

HOSHI: Yeah, that's pretty tasteless.

MOMOTA: Hey, freak of nature! We're talking to you! 

HOSHI: I don't think calling him a freak is necessary… 

MOMOTA: He's a murderer, I'll call him whatever the fuck I want! 

SHINGUUJI: Kukukukukukukukukuku…I feel so numb…so close, yet so far… 

IRUMA: What the shit are you talking about? Can we vote already? 

MONOKUMA: Did I hear vote? It's voting time! 

SHINGUUJI KOREKIYO HAS BEEN VOTED GUILTY. 

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WIN! 

SHIROGANE: So it's confirmed… 

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun, will you answer some questions now? 

SHINGUUJI: Questions? Yes, of course… 

CHABASHIRA: We don't need to hear any more from him! Tenko says we should get him executed as soon as possible! 

AKAMATSU: Don't you want to find out about Yumeno-san’s last moments? 

CHABASHIRA: Huh? 

AKAMATSU: Shinguuji-kun is the last person who saw her alive…I think we should take this opportunity to find out why she wanted to die. 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

IRUMA: Hey, did you off Saihara too? 

SHINGUUJI: Let me explain everything you might want to know…I've got nothing to lose now, after all. No, I did not murder Saihara-kun. I'm not sure who did. It wasn't me, though. You don't have to believe me, but it's the truth. 

AKAMATSU: So we still need to find that one out…

SHINGUUJI: Let me clear up the situation…the time I talked to Yumeno-san was right before our rehearsal. 

CHABASHIRA: That's why you were late…not because of any book! 

SHINGUUJI: Correct. I couldn't have told you that, of course. Granted, I still ended up slipping up in front of Akamatsu-san…I hoped she would not think much of it. 

AKAMATSU: You underestimated me! 

SHINGUUJI: Clearly. That was indeed my rope. I hoped nobody would connect it with me, instead assuming its connection with Iruma-san. It appears that I miscalculated. 

AKAMATSU: You sure did. 

CHABASHIRA: Did…did Yumeno-san tell you about her worries? Did she tell you what was bothering her? 

YONAGA: ... 

AKAMATSU: Did she talk about the motive? 

SHINGUUJI: She wasn't one to vent, if that's what you're thinking. She hardly knew me, after all. It was me venting, you see. I took advantage of her guilt, that was really easy to notice. I exploited it. 

CHABASHIRA: You did what? You menace! How could you! Taking advantage of Yumeno-san! 

AKAMATSU: I just don't get it…right before you talked to Yumeno-san, you talked to me, remember? You were so kind…and you told me that we'll get out of here together, remember? Was that all a lie? 

YONAGA: And you told Angie that we would stay here forever and make sure everyone gets along and no more people die…that wasn't true either…? 

SHINGUUJI: Of course. When I made both of those statements, I was already planning a murder. I was on my way to carrying out the murder. It was easy to pretend that I support your goals, though. People tend to not think twice when someone agrees with them, I've noticed.

AKAMATSU: But…why? What made you want to leave so badly that you turned to murder? 

SHINGUUJI: The motive, of course. The memories I received from Monokuma. 

AKAMATSU: What were they of? I need to know. 

SHINGUUJI: My dear sister. All I have left of my family. 

IRUMA: You're a siscon on top of everything? Sick! 

SHINGUUJI: Siscon…? No, of course not. Perish that thought. My big sister is simply the only person I had left in the world. We lived together and took care of each other. I was young and she was sickly. I took care of her, and she made sure I had a place to stay. It was peaceful…I always regretted that I couldn't take her on my trips. 

SHIROGANE: That sounds kind of sweet… 

MOMOTA: Did you forget that he's a murderer? 

SHIROGANE: N-no but…family is important, you know? 

TOUJOU: Then, you were worried about your sister and wanted to see her at all costs? Even sacrificing another person’s life? 

SHINGUUJI: Yes. My envelope contained pictures of my sister that reminded me I miss her dearly…and made me fear for her safety. I don't know how much time had passed since I last saw her. Since she was sickly, she might not even be alive. If she was taken hostage, she might not have survived that either…but I truly wanted to be reunited with her. Now, I suppose I'll watch over her as a guardian spirit. 

SHIROGANE: Is it bad that I still think that's sweet? 

IRUMA: Abso-fucking-lutely! 

MONOKUMA: That saccharine bullshit makes a bear feel sick and diabetic! Groooooss! 

SHINGUUJI: That's not my only motive, though. 

HOSHI: What else? 

SHINGUUJI: Just once, I really wanted to try murder. To see what it feels like… 

AKAMATSU: Eeeeeh? 

SHIROGANE: W-w-what? 

CHABASHIRA: That's sick! Twisted! 

SHINGUUJI: It might appear sick to you, yes… You're not as familiar with death as I am…I have witnessed many deaths in my life, through ancient writing, to memorials, through songs speaking of death, of tragedy, of such twisted ideas…yes, death is like an acquaintance to me. But I'd never experienced it directly, and this game gave me an opportunity to see how it really feels, directly, to witness, to cause death, not simply read about it. It felt thrilling...I don't fear my own death now. Death is my friend. 

IRUMA: That's so fuckin fake deep. 

OUMA: How did it feel? 

SHINGUUJI: Exhilarating. In a way, I expected to not feel anything, having thought about death so many times…but it was different when I took a life myself. In fact, I now understand really well why death is everywhere in human writing, in dark, twisted stories and nursery rhymes…I do hope someone will write one about my murder. I wonder how many generations are going to keep it alive…makes you think, no? 

CHABASHIRA: No, it doesn't! All Tenko wants to immortalise is Yumeno-san’s pain and struggle! 

SHINGUUJI: The struggle, you say? Indeed, she struggled. When I was tying her up, she started to wiggle around in panic. I suppose she was having second thoughts about death...it was too late for her, however. If I let her live, she would have told everyone what I was trying to do...I couldn't risk that, you understand. It was so undignified…she calmed down after I covered her mouth and nose and covered her with cloth, though. I suppose she accepted it with dignity in the end, kukuku… 

CHABASHIRA: Stop talking about her like that! Stop! How could you…? And why did you do this to...to all of us? We cared about Yumeno-san! The performance was for her benefit, too! Tenko…Tenko was going to…confess her feelings… _(tearing up)_

MOMOTA: Confess…? 

HOSHI: I warned you that you're taking too long to do it…but it couldn't have been helped. 

SHINGUUJI: Oh, I was perfectly aware, but I tried to honour your rules and goals, you see. I wanted to get out of the school, like Akamatsu-san wanted. I respected the nighttime rule, like Angie-san wanted. And I helped Yumeno-san solve her problems for Chabashira-san’s sake. I suppose we learned some lessons, no? 

AKAMATSU: All we learned is that you took advantage of us! I don't care if you did it for your sister, it's still disgusting! 

SHINGUUJI: That's harsh, Akamatsu-san…but I suppose it's deserved. 

CHABASHIRA: What's deserved is your death! Monokuma, bring on the execution! 

SHINGUUJI: _(taking off the mask, revealing a scar on the lower half of his face)_ I suppose I won't need that. Farewell, everyone. I wish you luck in this game. Hopefully you will find Saihara-kun’s murderer. And…farewell, Angie-san. 

YONAGA: ... 

SHINGUUJI: Monokuma, I'm ready to face my fate. _(throwing the mask onto the floor)_

MONOKUMA: Finally! It's punishment time! 

SHINGUUJI KOREKIYO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.  
EXECUTION: HOTTEST BATH! 

A Monokuma throws a lasso, capturing Shinguuji's neck, like a noose. Another catches his arm, and soon all his limbs are lasso’d. Then, another lasso catches his midriff and lifts him up. His arms and legs are bent and can't move. The Monokumas then set a boiling pot under his body. They take out bats and whack his limbs. Then, they cut all the ropes that were holding him up. He falls into the boiling pot where he boils alive. 

EXECUTION: SUCCESS! 

Akamatsu couldn't look away from the execution, no matter how much she wanted to. All things considered, it was a fitting punishment…but she couldn't bring herself to cheer. 

She turned around to watch everyone else's reaction. Most of the faces betrayed feelings similar to hers. Disturbed, but not mourning. 

‘I hope that we'll find Saihara-kun’s murderer…’ she said weakly. ‘I really hoped it'd turn out to have been a double murder…’

‘We would have to find the key. The chances are slim…’ Toujou remarked sadly. 

‘Oh, the key? You mean this?’

Everyone turned in the direction the voice was coming from. Away from all of them, Ouma was standing proudly, holding a key in his hand. His smile was so wide that Akamatsu felt chills running up her spine. 

‘You had it all along?’ she asked weakly. 

‘Duh, of course! Do a body check next time, Akamatsu-chaaaan!’ he teased, sticking out his tongue. 

The following events left Akamatsu shaken for the rest of the day. 

First, Monokuma appeared behind Ouma and grabbed the key. 

‘Gimme it! Saihara-kun’s room has to remain locked, so you can't have that!’

‘Boo, no fun…but I guess I don't need it anymore!’

Then, two things happened seemingly at the same time. Angie leapt forward and spread her arms, as if to protect Ouma with her own body. Simultaneously, Momota sprang forward, reaching out his hand. Angie turned out to be too short, and Momota's hand grabbed Ouma's neck and held him up. Then, he held Ouma's body against the wall, choking him. 

‘Hey, stop!’ Akamatsu held her own voice yelling as her legs took her towards the scene. Everyone ran along with her. 

‘He's a murderer! He admitted it! Don't fucking defend him now!’ Momota growled, looking into Ouma's paled face with fury. 

‘Momota, I don't care to keep him alive, but do you really want to get executed?’ Harukawa said calmly, watching Ouma's eyes water and bulge. 

‘What the fuck are you talking about? This is the execution! He needs to be punished!’ Momota barked back. 

‘No. According to Monokuma’s rules, you'd be a murderer. Since we could see this murder, you'd be executed without a trial. Which I don't particularly care about, but maybe you should.’

‘Let him go!’ Akamatsu heard her voice crying as her fists pounded against Momota's back. She noticed that Angie was desperately trying to grab his hand and pull it away. 

And then, Momota let go. Ouma's limp body dropped onto the floor, limp and pale. He was barely conscious and breathing heavily. He'd lose consciousness soon. 

Not even thinking, Akamatsu picked up his body. He wasn't heavy at all. In fact, he was alarmingly light, even for his height. She made a mental note to check if he's eating and sleeping properly. 

The group quietly made their way towards the elevator. Akamatsu couldn't help but notice that everyone was keeping a distance from Ouma's body - even unconscious, he was a threat now. 

***

By the time they arrived back on the surface, it was almost nighttime. The unspoken rule that Angie's curfew was to be ignored, Akamatsu made her way towards the music room as soon as she made sure that Ouma was safe in his room. 

She sat down by the piano but she didn't feel like playing. She needed time before she could forget about the trauma surrounding the planned performance…perhaps a good night's sleep would fix all her issues…maybe…

Angie entered the room quietly, her soft steps near-inaudible even to Akamatsu’s sensitive hearing. She didn't look at her. She simply looked at the sculptures still resting on top of the piano. 

Angie sat down beside her in silence. Akamatsu finally looked at her, and almost gasped. 

Angie was smiling, as per usual, but now there were tears streaming down her face, wetting her cheeks and causing her hair to stick to her skin. She was crying without a sound, still maintaining the facade of unrelenting positivity. 

Akamatsu felt her own eyes watering at the sight. She realised, in that moment, that Angie had never shown any signs of suffering, despite losing almost everyone who was close to her in the game. Gonta, Yumeno, Shinguuji…they were all people Akamatsu knew they both cared about. Amami was the kind of person who would be important to everyone…and Saihara's death was so unfair that someone like Angie was also bound to be upset. 

Akamatsu had never thought of Angie as strong before, but she realised that she definitely, sincerely was. 

The two of them sat by the piano, crying, late into the night. 

11 PLAYERS REMAINING  
CHAPTER END: TANGLED UP IN DEATH  
RECEIVED GIFT: Saihara's hat. Shinguuji's mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wanted to tweak Shinguuji's backstory and motive, because I like him quite a bit, but the canon material...is quite shitty.  
> A few people guessed that it's him - so congrats, even if it was under the assumption that it's his original motive.  
> I'll add the comic asap but as you can see the chapter is almost 7k, which took a lot of time and energy. Hope you enjoyed guys!


	24. Chapter 3: Daily Life 1

Akamatsu Kaede opened her eyes and immediately closed them again, groaning. She slowly rubbed her hand over her forehead and eyes.

She desperately didn't want to get up. The reality of the killing game made her want to barricade herself in her room and waste away.

The reality that there was a murderer in the group, and all she knew was that it's not herself...

...Was it really Ouma?

The image of his cruel, twisted smile, his catlike bloodshot eyes watching the group intently from a distance...his pale hand holding the key up as if to mock them...it was going to be burned into her brain forever.

And then...Angie trying to shield him with her tiny body and unwavering smile. Did he try to push her away, or did Akamatsu imagine that? And after that, Momota's hand wrapping around his neck, holding him up against the wall...she had to assume that if nobody intervened, Momota would have crushed Ouma's windpipe right then and there.

How come that the idea was more terrifying to her than any of the murders that actually happened? Is it because it was happening in front of her? Because she could see Ouma's eyes almost popping out of the sockets? His skin turning purple as he ran out of breath?

She couldn't tell why it terrified her so. She couldn't tell if she believed that Ouma committed the murder, either...he always struck her as all talk, no action. Did she misjudge him?

She sat up on the bed and reached for her backpack. Opening it, she shuddered.

First, she looked at her ID. Upon checking the rrules tab, it turned out that the double murder rule had indeed been added. She wondered if it was added during the investigation or the trial...or while she was asleep. After all, Monokuma reserved the right to add whatever rules he wanted...unfortunately.

She took Saihara's hat out and examined it. Now that the investigation was a distant memory, she couldn't quite understand what made her grab it. Was it respect for Saihara? Perhaps it was the one way to preserve the memory of him. After all, now his body had been disposed of, and his dorm sealed away. The hat itself was about as unremarkable as its owner, black aside from a few lighter stripes. She set it down onto the bed. 

And Shinguuji's mask...he'd thrown it away, and she decided to pick it up for some reason unknown to herself. It was a rather creepy-looking mask, smelling faintly of leather, sweat, and smoke.

Shinguuji's last moments kept replaying in her head, over and over. His unsettling laughter. Him confessing his guilt. The explanation of his motives. Him admitting that Yumeno didn't want to die in the end. The final blow about him lying to both Akamatsu and Angie, yet technically playing by their rules...it stung, just like it was supposed to.

She wondered about his scar. From the distance, it looked a bit like a burn scar, but she couldn't be sure, and didn't have time to ask. She put the mask away along with the hat.

Having gotten dressed properly, she looked into the mirror. Then, she got quite a silly idea.

She grabbed Saihara's hat and Shinguuji's mask from the bed, and returned to the mirror. First, she put on the hat, then the mask. Deciding the final product looks ridiculous, she took off both. It almost felt sacrilegous to wear these mementos, but at the same time it was all she had left of the people. Sighing, she put them away along with Amami's knife.

When she opened the door, she saw Saihara's door immediately opposite hers, and her heart dropped. She looked at the nameplate and sighed. 

He was one of the few people in the group that she thought she could rely on. Less eccentric and intense, more grounded, he was someone that she felt safe having around. He died just when he seemed to be getting on the right track, finally embracing his talent. Even though he was weak and sickly, he still tried to help the group. She vowed not to forget him no matter what. She still had to find out who knocked him unconscious before the first murder… Was it the same person who murdered him? Was it just a failed murder attempt, and the culprit simply finished the job? Was it two separate people? Was it really Ouma's doing? Was the mastermind involved? She had too many questions for comfort. She was definitely going to find out the answers, for his sake. 

Then she turned towards Yumeno's door. Her death filled Akamatsu with incredible guilt. She could say that she tried to help, but didn't she just end up pushing the magician…no, the mage, away? She was so vulnerable, and yet didn't even think about herself when an opportunity to sacrifice her life for someone came up. At least in her final moments, she regained her will to live…she was more selfless than anybody Akamatsu knew. Were all the newspaper clippings really about her, or somebody she knew? If not, did she think they were? Even more questions that she didn't have answers to. All she knew was that Yumeno was stronger than she gave herself credit for. If only she decided to share her worries with her friends, perhaps life would be just a bit easier for her…

Akamatsu turned towards Shinguuji's door. She frowned. She still couldn't make sense of the emotions she felt surrounding his death. Murdering Yumeno was unforgivable, of course. She could never find it in her heart to excuse that. But, on the other hand, she had some sympathy for his love of his sister. It made her wonder what might have happened to her family over the months, maybe years that had been stolen from her. Were they still alive? Would she ever consider murder for the sake of knowing? Familial love, just like romantic love, could definitely be an effective motive for some…she couldn't fault him for that, exactly. Would his story be passed down from here? She realised that it depends entirely on the fate of the group. Will there be anyone left to tell it? 

Finally, Akamatsu made her way to the cafeteria, no more stalling. Remembering what was happening a few meters away while she was having breakfast the day before left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she had to put on a brave face for everyone's sake - including her own. 

The instant she entered the cafeteria, she was greeted by multiple relieved voices. 

‘Akamatsu-san, you made it. I was starting to worry about you, since you've never missed breakfast before,’ Toujou admitted, quickly pouring tea into Akamatsu’s cup and setting it down on the table. 

‘Angie was super worried too!’ she chimed in. ‘Thank goodness that you're okay!’

‘Well, I've been better…’ Akamatsu admitted under her breath, chuckling self-deprecatingly. ‘I see I'm not the only one who's late…’ she added, looking around. 

Indeed, out of the remaining students only herself, Angie, Toujou, Shirogane and Momota made it. While she didn't expect Ouma or Iruma to come to breakfast after the trial, Tenko's absence struck her as rather alarming. 

‘Yeah, there are definitely more empty seats than usual…’ Shirogane said, looking down sadly. She bit her lip and sighed deeply. 

‘We're down five people at this point, so I guess that makes sense,’ Momota remarked, clenching his fist. ‘I can't believe that all happened…if I see this bastard he won't get away from me this time. I will fucking kill him on the spot.’

‘Wouldn't that mean we'd be missing even more people? I mean,’ Shirogane pointed out hesitantly, ‘both you and Ouma-kun would die. I-I don't think that would be an improvement to our situation…’

‘It wouldn't be a murder,’ Momota protested. ‘It'd be an execution, which is totally justified. None of you would have to vote for me. Right?’

‘I'm not sure if that's how it works,’ Akamatsu said diplomatically. She sighed and rubbed the back of her head. ‘Right now, I'm honestly still thinking about Shinguuji-kun…some of his last words really sounded like he was mocking me and Angie-san.’

Angie shivered almost unnoticeably and bit into her food. She clearly didn't want to think or talk about it. 

‘Yeah, that was pretty fucked up,’ Momota agreed, knitting his eyebrows. ‘His speech about death or whatever…that was straight up supervillain talk.’

‘Right?’ Shirogane perked up immediately and turned towards him. ‘It made me shudder! And that laugh! Didn't Shinguuji-kun say he wants his story to be passed from generation to generation? It's like he wanted us to write it down! And what's with that scar? When he took off his mask...’

‘Well, we're not fucking going to write it down,’ Momota said firmly. ‘I say the best we can do to do spite him is forget it ever fucking happened. Remember the victims, not the perpetrators. And the heroes, of course. Feel free to write about me punishing Ouma,’ he added with a confident grin and a wink, punching his chest. 

‘Angie knows about the scar,’ she informed suddenly, swallowing. Her voice sounded hollow. 

‘Really?’ Akamatsu asked. She wasn't as surprised by that development as she wanted to be. 

‘Do tell!’ Shirogane begged, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. 

‘Angie asked why he wears the mask and he told her,’ she said calmly. ‘He was in an accident when he was younger and has been wearing it since then.’

‘Ah, I had hoped it would be something more interesting,’ Shirogane said, disappointed, deflating. ‘Did he say what kind of an accident it was? Something villain backstory worthy? Was he bullied because of it?’ she asked, still holding onto the sliver of hope. 

‘Shirogane, you really have to stop acting like you're an anime character,’ Momota scolded, getting up to put away his plate. 

‘I guess… I'm just so fascinated by it. Nothing interesting happened in my backstory, you see,’ Shirogane explained. 

‘Your backstory…?’ Akamatsu asked, bewildered. 

‘Korekiyo…never told Angie the details. She didn't feel like she should ask. He said he didn't want anyone to see it, so he covered it up. It was also convenient for his trips to all those distant places.’

‘He didn't want anyone to see… That's so depressing…’ Shirogane sighed and hugged herself. 

‘Shirogane, can you stop sympathising with murderers? You're not an anime character!’ Momota growled. 

‘It's still sad, you know?’ she said defensively. ‘You will never get it!’

There was no way to tell how the argument would have escalated if Ouma hadn't entered the cafeteria, skipping towards the table.

‘Hi guys!’ he greeted cheerfully, as if everyone wasn't giving him confused and terrified looks. Momota's muscles tensed up. 

‘Get the fuck out of here,’ Momota said hoarsely. ‘Or I won't hesitate to kill you.’ He paused, mouth wide agape, staring at Toujou. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

Toujou glanced at him calmly. She was carrying a tray with some tea and cereal. It seemed like she was about to set it down in front of Ouma before Momota made her freeze. 

‘I am giving Ouma-kun breakfast,’ she informed calmly, looking Momota in the eyes. 

‘Why?’ he leaned towards her over the table. It looked like he was incredibly close to exploding. ‘Why the fuck would you do that?’

‘It is my duty to serve everyone,’ she explained, still keeping her calm. Ouma, standing beside her, watched Momota's expression closely. Akamatsu got the feeling that if Momota were to attack him, he would hide behind Toujou instead of facing him. She couldn't really blame him for that. 

‘You realise that he's a murderer, right? Do you fucking know that? And yet you want to feed him?’ Momota's face had turned red with anger. He was now speaking through gritted teeth. 

‘I realise that he is a suspect. It does not matter to me, though. The morals of my clients have never mattered to me. All that matters is my duty as a maid. As such, I am not going to stop delivering meals to anybody in the group,’ she informed. ‘Additionally, I do not see any benefits to starving Ouma-kun. If I let him die, I will be complicit in murder. In fact, all of us might be. It is more beneficial to keep him alive.’

‘I fucking hate this shitty double murder rule. This shithead deserves to be executed, and yet you, Angie, and Akamatsu all defend him for some reason!’ Momota complained, banging his fist on the table. ‘Do you WANT him here!’

‘What do you mean, I defend him?’ Akamatsu protested, panicked. ‘I never did that! I just agree with Toujou-san, killing Ouma-kun won't help anybody!’

‘Oh yeah? You weren't the one who pounded on my back yesterday? I still have bruises from that, you know. I'd say that counts as defending him,’ Momota muttered, stroking his lower back. 

‘He hasn't been proven guilty!’ Angie chimed in, glancing back at Ouma. ‘Angie doesn't think it's fair to say he did it because he has the key.’

‘Why else would he have the key? Did he happen to find it? I'm supposed to buy that?’ Momota scoffed. 

‘Oh, no, Angie-chan, I totally did it. I can tell you how later,’ Ouma assured, balancing on his feet. He winked at her before giggling into his palm. 

‘See? That's it. He's mocking us now,’ Momota insisted, pointing towards the door. ‘Toujou, I understand that you need to feed him. Fine. But do it away from me. Away from everyone. You can take someone with you for safety. I don't give a shit. Just…isolate him.’

Right then, an announcement went off above them. Shirogane flinched. Ouma stepped behind Toujou and listened carefully. 

‘TO ALL STUDENTS! GATHER IN THE GYM IN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES OR I WILL EXECUTE YOU! UPUPU!’

For once, Akamatsu was grateful for the distraction. Monokuma’s annoying laughter echoed as the group stood around the cafeteria, watching each other carefully. 

***

Everyone made it to the gym, and the door locked behind them. Akamatsu looked around. Gathering everyone in one place definitely showed how many people had died - the difference between sixteen and eleven shouldn't have been as noticeable as it was. Akamatsu shook her head. 

Tenko, usually joined by Yumeno before the latter died, was now leaning against the wall, all by herself. Her naturally tan skin now looked noticeably paler. Her eyes were red, and there were bags under her eyes. Akamatsu realised, with a degree of terror, that the description was eerily close to how Yumeno looked after the previous trial. 

Before she could process that information, Monokuma popped up in front of them, doing a rather impressive backflip in the process. 

‘Good morning, my beautiful bastard!’ he exclaimed, rubbing his paws. ‘Good job back there! Two murders, one execution! I'm so proud of you!’ he gushed, throwing his hands up in the air. 

‘What the fuck…’ Momota muttered, taking a step back. He sounded furious. 

‘Is he getting off on it...?’ Iruma asked, sweating profusely. ‘Guess that's a kink he has in common with maskface, there,’ she remarked, shuddering. Akamatsu resisted the urge to ask if she could relate. 

‘Why did you gather us here? New areas are now available, I presume,’ Harukawa guessed, looking at the bear defiantly, her arms crossed. ‘Could you just tell us that and let us go? I don't consent to wasting any more of my time.’

‘So impatient, Harukawa-san! I'm not done yet, so if you'd stop interrupting me…’ Monokuma cleared his throat theatrically and looked around the room. ‘As I was saying, two murders and one execution! Pretty impressive work there. But! That means you have a murderer in the group! Isn't that fun?’ the bear asked, covering his mouth with his paws. 

‘It's not fucking fun!’ Momota yelled, stomping his foot. ‘We should execute him right now! He can't just roam freely!’

‘Whom?’ Monokuma tilted his head in confusion. ‘Ouma-kun? I'm not executing him. Didn't you pay attention to the rules? It's first come first serve here. If you want to apply the rules to Saihara-kun’s murder, I would have to execute all of you anyway.’

‘H-huh?’ Iruma shivered. ‘You can't fucking do that! You can't execute me! I don't give a shit what you do with the others, but leave me alone!’

‘It would be unfair to hurt the students!’ Kiibo chimed in, pointing his finger at Monokuma. 

‘And I'm not going to, relax. But Momota-kun here is the one who really wants me to. You didn't find Saihara-kun’s murderer before the trial ended, did you? So if I were to count it as equal to Yumeno-san’s, that'd mean all of you lost. Do you want to die, Momota-kun?’

‘No…’ Momota said hesitantly, glancing at Ouma with contempt. ‘Dammit!’ he muttered, punching the wall. 

‘Now that that's settled…play nice, everyone. If you decide to kill anyone now, you will be counted as the culprit and a trial will be held! Even if you kill Saihara-kun’s murderer, whoever they may be! No exceptions! Is that clear?’

Ouma stuck his tongue out at Momota and promptly hid behind Toujou. The group remained silent, watching Monokuma. 

Angie silently raised her hand. Ten pairs of eyes focused on her in anticipation. 

‘Yes, Angie-san?’ Monokuma prompted, tilting his head. 

‘Angie just wanted to know what happened to Korekiyo’s sister. Is she okay?’ Angie asked innocently, looking into the bear’s eyes. The force of her personality was exerting pressure on the bear with the look of her big, teal eyes alone. 

‘That's all you wanted to know? Laaaame,’ Monokuma dismissed, concealing his discomfort. ‘If you really need to know, she's dead. She died in this very building, in fact! Well, in its general area,’ he clarified. ‘You've been stepping on her corpse, so to speak!’

‘What?’ Akamatsu shrieked, looking down at her feet. She felt nauseous. Many others did the same. 

‘I won't tell you any details, of course. But she was dead when you first woke up here! At least she's reunited with her brother now, huh? Assuming life after death is a thing…in any case, he didn't die that far away from her…Upupu, how wonderful…methinks Shinguuji-kun would appreciate that.’

‘That's…’ 

‘Huh…’

More people looked at their feet and around the room. Some of them were shuddering. Harukawa was the only one who remained calm, staring into the bear’s eyes. 

‘Now that that's settled,’ Monokuma continued, ‘as Harukawa-san guessed, I unlocked some new areas for you! Because you did so well and delivered three corpses, you get access to a whole new floor now! Now go and explore, you ungrateful bastards.’

With that, he disappeared. 

Momota stepped towards Toujou. Ouma was still hiding behind her, looking up at him with a somewhat mocking yet faint smile. 

Momota looked down at him and then at Toujou, who remained calm and unflinching, standing her ground firmly. 

‘Listen, you little shitstain,’ Momota stated through gritted teeth, glaring down at Ouma, ‘I don't care if you have Toujou and even Monokuma protecting you like nothing happened. I may not off you, but I'll make your life here a living hell, all by myself if I have to. You won't get away with your supervillain shtick. That's all.’ Having said that, he stormed out of the gym. Iruma and Kiibo followed behind him, glancing uneasily in Ouma's direction.

‘Let go of my dress, Ouma-kun,’ Toujou requested calmly but firmly. He stepped up from behind her. ‘I shall find an arrangement that will satisfy everyone's sense of safety. For now, please follow me.’ The two of them left the gym along with Shirogane and Hoshi, the latter of whom sighed deeply. 

Akamatsu approached Tenko, who was hesitant about leaving the gym. 

‘Hey, Chabashira-san?’ Akamatsu prompted gently, resting her hand on Tenko's shoulder. ‘Would you want to explore the school with me? I could use some company…’ she added facetiously. It wasn't her that needed to not be alone right now. 

‘Oh, Akamatsu-san…sure!’ Tenko smiled faintly, putting on a brave face. She pumped her fist. ‘We cannot give up now, right? We might discover an exit on the new floor!’ her voice was shaking, but she still tried to sound confident. Akamatsu smiled back at her. 

‘Yeah! We have to check everything we have. Maybe we'll finally be able to find something that'll let us escape.’ She grabbed Tenko's hand gently and led her out of the door. 

Now, they were both putting on brave faces for each other's sake. They weren't going to let any more vulnerable people die. Never again. 

CHAPTER 3:   
ON A HOOK, DANGLING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter one this time. Are you ready to explore a whole new floor with Tenko? I sure am!


	25. Chapter 3: Daily Life 2

Akamatsu Kaede, joined by Chabashira Tenko, discovered that now all rooms on the first floor were unlocked, including the previously unavailable room right next to the staircase, which turned out to be, according to the nameplate, 'Nurse's Office.'

It was a rather small room with a bed in the back, a dividing curtain making it possible to separate it, presumably to give the theoretical patient some peace if they need it. Otherwise, there were multiple cabinets and shelves, currently being examined by Iruma Miu, watched carefully by Harukawa Maki.

'Oh, Akamatsu and Chabashira,' the latter muttered, glancing at them. 

'Bakamatsu!' Iruma exclaimed, holding multiple medicine bottles in her hands. 'There's so much good shit here!'

'What do you mean by that?' Akamatsu asked cautiously. She had a bad feeling.

'There are all sorts of meds here!' Iruma exclaimed. 'Not just meds but other shit. I found some hormone shit, too.'

'Hormones...?' Tenko asked weakly. Harukawa watched her curiously.

'Yeah. Testosterone gel. Seems like someone here doesn't have enough,' she remarked with a smirk. 'Estrogen is here too. And some diabetes meds. Eyedrops. Cough drops. Band-aids. All sorts of shit. I've seen some of it in the warehouse too, but I guess this way it's all in one place. Anybody want cough syrup?' she asked suddenly, holding a bottle up. Harukawa snatched it out of her hand.

'I won't let you waste resources,' she said firmly, narrowing her eyes. 'This medicine is invaluable. I don't think we'll ever make it out of here, so I would rather make sure we have all the medicine we need. Understood?'

'Yeah, medicine is no joke...' Akamatsu added.

'What's the big fuckin' deal,' Iruma asked with a shrug. 'It's not like we're running out of food. They're probably gonna replace this shit too.'

'You can't know that,' Harukawa remarked. 'These labels say 'keep away from children,' but I think you're more of a threat than any child I've worked with. Should I treat you like one?' she asked, looking down at her.

Iruma sniffled. She hunched over the cabinet and shuddered. 'I...I...' she stuttered. 'You fuckin' emo bitch...'

Harukawa rolled her eyes and sighed. 

'So, it's all just medicine?' Akamatsu asked quickly.

'Mostly,' Harukawa informed. 'There are also bandages and syringes and such. She,' she said through gritted teeth, pointing her chin at Iruma, 'also found tampons and ether.'

'Ether?' Tenko's eyes widened. 'Tenko thinks that doesn't sound like something we should have access to. Neither do the syringes, but they might be useful...'

'I'm sure,' Harukawa dismissed. 'In case you haven't noticed, there are no nurses or doctors here. Need be, we are the only ones who can save ourselves for each other. We have to acknowledge that, even if it means giving the access to drugs to this moron,' she explained, looking down at Iruma. 

Akamatsu decided that they've seen enough of the office.

She wished it had been available earlier. Perhaps if they had access to the medicine, they would have saved Saihara... But there was no point in thinking about that.

'I'm so glad that we have access to more medicine now,' she remarked, smiling at Tenko.

'Mhm,' the other girl murmured in agreement, but her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. Akamatsu decided not to interrupt her.

Upon going upstairs onto the second floor, Akamatsu noticed that the previously blocked off staircase was now indeed available like Monokuma had said. An entirely new floor to explore…she could only hope that it would bring some new options of escape. There was no time to waste. 

She and Tenko went up the new stairs and ended up on the third floor. It had a somewhat unique feel to it - the walls in the hall were painted a soothing shade of purple. Akamatsu opened the first door she noticed, with a nameplate that said ‘Art Room’. 

There was no doubt as to what the room was supposed to be, even without the nameplate. Multiple blank canvases were standing around, waiting to become beautiful paintings. Clay packs were stacked against the wall, along with buckets of paint, sticks of charcoal, and boxes of plasticine and crayons. There were cardboard boxes with stacks of paper in them. The walls were ‘decorated’ with artistic splashes of paint here and there, as was the wooden floor. It was, without a doubt, the art room. Tenko gasped in awe behind Akamatsu. 

Angie was kneeling on the floor, preparing paint. When she heard the two walk in, she got up to her feet and ran towards them, skipping happily. 

‘Look, look!’ she exclaimed, bouncing on her feet. ‘Angie has been blessed with her own workspace now! Praise be!’ She clasped her hands and giggled. 

‘It really is kind of amazing…’ Akamatsu admitted, looking around. ‘You can make all sorts of art now, huh? What are those hooks in the back for?’ she asked, mildly terrified. There were multiple small hooks in the wall, from about five to seven feet off the floor. 

‘Oh, it's in case Angie needs to pull a sheet over a statue, should she make one. One of those sheets, see?’ she explained, pointing towards the sheets lying on the floor. ‘Angie thinks she could also hang a picture on them. Such joy! Nyahaha!’ she twirled around, giggling. 

‘Tenko wishes she could make art…’ she sighed softly. ‘Then, she could draw something in Yumeno-san’s memory… Oh, how she wishes she could pay such tribute to her!’

‘Uh oh,’ Akamatsu mumbled, changing the topic to hopefully distract Tenko from her pain, ‘Angie-san, what's that door for?’ she asked, pointing at a small door, barely noticeable in the artistic mess of the room. 

‘Angie has no idea! She hasn't been there yet. You're free to check, but Angie is going to stay here…’ she informed, already walking back towards the paint. She kneeled and stared down at it, as if she were hypnotized. 

Akamatsu decided to leave her there and check if she could open the mysterious door. Sure enough, she could. Easily. However, the door led to a room that turned out to be extremely dimly lit once Tenko closed the art room door behind them. It appeared that they were in some sort of a short hall that led to another door, which Akamatsu opened just as easily. That one seemed completely dark. Akamatsu wished she'd brought a light. Wait, maybe there's a way to use the ID as-

As she was thinking about that, she bumped into live flesh that definitely wasn't Chabashira Tenko, who was definitely standing behind her. Instinctively, she screamed at the top of her lungs, as did the mysterious lump of flesh, presumably just as terrified as she was. 

Upon hearing the other's scream, Akamatsu calmed down, having recognised the voice. She stopped screaming immediately, while the other person continued for a few more seconds, as did the confused Tenjo who joined the terrified chorus out of second-hand terror. 

‘Shirogane-san?’ Akamatsu asked cautiously. 

‘Oh, Akamatsu-san,’ Shirogane’s relieved voice responded from the darkness. 

‘What are you doing here, hiding in the dark? Are you playing hide and seek with Ouma-kun?’ Akamatsu asked, distressed. 

‘Why is this room so dark, Shirogane-san?’ Tenko asked nervously. ‘Did the power go out?’

‘I don't think so,’ Shirogane said cautiously. ‘I've been trying to find the light switch, but I can't seem to be able to…I went in here to explore, but it seems that I locked myself in here…and now you two are locked with me…and we might die here…nobody will be able to find us…how thrilling…’

‘Worry not! Tenko has her hand on the door handle! She will let you out whenever you want!’ Tenko assured loudly from the back. 

‘Have you tried using your ID as a light source?’ Akamatsu asked, remembering what she was thinking about earlier. She took out her ID and turned it on. It lit up her face. 

‘Oh…I didn't think of that,’ Shirogane admitted, taking out her own ID. Now, more of the room was visible, including her face with an apologetic smile. ‘I was too preoccupied with the vision of my demise to think about solutions…’

‘I'm sure,’ Akamatsu retorted. ‘I wonder where the light switch might be…’ she muttered, looking around with her ID light on. ‘It should probably be by the door- there it is!’ she exclaimed triumphantly, flipping the switch. 

The room was now illuminated with the same dim light from the small hall the girls had come from. It was rather small, but packed to the brim with strange devices that Akamatsu couldn't quite recognise. 

‘Oh, I see now,’ Shirogane stated, nodding. ‘It's a dark room.’

‘Well, yeah, it sure is dark…’ Akamatsu muttered, confused. 

‘No, no, I mean, it's not just any dark room. It's the kind of dark room that you use for developing photos!’ Shirogane clarified enthusiastically. ‘It's so old-timey…nobody really uses cameras that make photos like that. I wonder why it's here.’

‘Developing photos?’ Akamatsu knitted her eyebrows. ‘Yeah, that does seem a bit archaic. Maybe this school was just built a long time ago?’ she proposed, looking around. She could definitely see that it was a dark room now. 

‘I dunno…a lot of it seems really modern, so why would they leave that here…’ Shirogane pointed out reluctantly. 

‘Perhaps it's for the sake of a class!’ Tenko chimed in. ‘A technique being old does not make it useless or uninteresting. Perhaps they didn't want it to die…Tenko doesn't know anything about photography, but that could be the explanation, yes?’

‘Maybe,’ Akamatsu agreed hesitantly, ‘but we don't have a camera, so it's pretty useless for us right now anyway. We should probably get out of here now.’

‘I agree…this place is unsettling. I thought about it and I definitely would not want to die here of all places,’ Shirogane added nervously, following the other girls out the door. 

The well-lit art room stood in great contrast to the dark room. Akamatsu supposed that perhaps the placement of the room there did make some sense. Photography was an art, after all, wasn't it? Then again, for all they knew, the mastermind might have repurposed the tiny room when they took over the school. Perhaps it was originally a storage? She wouldn't know. 

Remembering the mastermind made her shudder. Someone among them might still be either the mastermind or working for them…that was a terrifying thought. 

While Shirogane elected to stay and watch Angie at work, Akamatsu and Tenko decided to continue exploring. 

The classroom opposite the art room wasn't anything special - just a regular old classroom like the one Akamatsu woke up in. It even had similar lockers. 

Akamatsu realised that it's been nine days since she woke up in the building, in a strange classroom, in a locker that was barely big enough to breathe or move in. That was when she met Saihara…the first person she saw in this strange place. And now, he was already dead. It's been barely over a week, and yet it felt like she's already spent an eternity in the school. 

The reality of that hit her with a sense of dread. They've been living together in here for just over a week, and yet five of them were already dead. They didn't have to be, she knew it. She could have stopped it, but at the same time she was aware that there was no way for her to stop someone ehen she didn't know they were planning a murder. Was it too late once they so much as thought about it? Or was it never too late? 

There was a killer amongst them right now. Were they going to try to kill again, since it didn't eaen them a ticket to the outside world? She couldn't tell.

She shook off the thoughts for now and entered the next room over - right next to the classroom. Its tag said ‘laundry room’. 

Indeed it was. Multiple washing machines were standing against the wall. There were sixteen of them...one for every participant of the killing game, she guessed. How quaint. 

By the washing machines stood Toujou Kirumi along with Kiibo, who was still wearing the scarf she had given him the day before. He was looking at the washing machines excitedly. 

‘Hi, Toujou-san, Kiibo-kun!’ Akamatsu called out, waving her hand at them. 

‘Hello, Akamatsu-san,’ Toujou responded calmly. ‘I must say that I'm relieved to have access to washing machines at last. If you have anything for me to wash for you, I will be collecting clothes later.’

‘I think everyone can do their own laundry,’ Akamatsu pointed out. ‘There's enough washing machines for all of us to have our own, you know?’

‘Nonsense. I shall take care of everyone's laundry. It's part of my duties.’

‘Tenko thinks it's unfair that you're going to do everyone's laundry! The menaces should learn to at least wash their own socks!’ she protested, grimacing. 

‘Don't worry, Chabashira-san!’ Kiibo chimed in. ‘I will help Toujou-san to the best of my abilities! I'm excited to learn about the process of washing clothes, now that I have a garment of my own!’ he added excitedly. 

‘Is that so?’ Tenko asked, taken aback.’ Well, I guess one menace might be significantly less worthless than the others.’

‘I assume that's a compliment, Chabashira-san, but I must note that I am not a man,’ Kiibo corrected calmly. 

‘Of course!’ Tenko exclaimed, nodding. ‘Thank you for correcting Tenko's mistake! It appears that all menaces are still useless!’

‘You know, Kiibo-kun, I'm not surprised that you'd be interested in the washing machines. They're kind of like your siblings, yeah?’ Akamatsu prompted. 

Kiibo tilted his head in confusion. ‘What do you mean, Akamatsu-san?’

‘Oh, I mean…you're both machines and all…’ she explained clumsily. 

‘Hmmmm…there is nothing I have in common with a washing machine, Akamatsu-san. Unlike me, they don't have advanced AI and cannot communicate. They're not sapient, if you can put it like that. Frankly, that comparison is quite insulting.’

‘Oh…’ Akamatsu flushed in embarrassment. ‘S-sorry…I didn't mean anything bad by that!’ she assured defensively. 

‘I understand. I forgive you, Akamatsu-san,’ he said calmly. 

‘Kiibo-kun is going to help me carry the clothes I collect from everyone upstairs. I do not need that help, but I won't say no to it,’ Toujou explained with a fond smile. Even she couldn't find it in her to reject Kiibo’s enthusiasm for helping others.

‘By the way, Toujou-san, can I ask you something about Saihara-kun’s death?’ Akamatsu asked, lowering her voice. 

Toujou’s smile disappeared. She walked towards Akamatsu so the others wouldn't hear what they were discussing. 

‘I'll answer any questions you have,’ she whispered. Her warm breath pleasantly  tickled Akamatsu’s skin. 

‘Have you noticed what happened to the button from Iruma-san and the tray? I was too focused on the body to pay attention,’ Akamatsu admitted. 

Toujou pondered the question for a bit. Finally, she answered slowly. ‘I grabbed the button when we first found the body. As for the tray, it's been missing from the crime scene from the crime scene, if I recall correctly. At least, I did not manage to find it. Perhaps it was hidden somewhere in the room, but I neglected to check everywhere.’

‘I see,’ Akamatsu said with a nod. ‘It's been bothering me since this morning when I saw Ouma-kun’s tray. I made the connection, and well…how's Ouma-kun, by the way?’

‘For now, he's been sent into his room. He said he won't leave until I tell him he can. I believe he called it ‘being grounded’. I'm currently trying to find a system that would restrict his movements enough to make everyone feel safe. Iruma-san is preparing a device that might help. It should be ready by tomorrow morning at the latest.’

‘Alright. Thanks for taking care of that.’ Akamatsu got the impression that Ouma was, for better or worse, treating Toujou like she's his mother. There was no telling how genuine it was on his side, but Toujou definitely seemed like a tired mother of a five-year-old. 

‘Akamatsu-san, is everything alright?’ Tenko asked, concerned about the long whispered conversation. 

‘Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine,’ Akamatsu assured. ‘Okay, Chabashira-san and I are going to continue investigating this floor now. We'll see you later,’ she said, waving goodbye at the two. She made a mental note to check if she had anything that needed washing. Considering that it's been over a week since they got here, it seemed like there was bound to be. 

The last new room on the floor had a nameplate on the door that stated that it's, in fact, ‘the rec room,’ short for recreational, Akamatsu assumed. 

It was definitely the most unique room they had seen so far. In the very centre was a big pool table, and off to the side by the wall stood a small ping-pong table. Akamatsu wondered how chaotic the scene would get if both of the tables were occupied at the same time. Watch out for stray balls! 

Other than that, there was a comfy-looking couch that could easily fit about three people. Next to it was a shelf filled to the brim with a variety of board games, most of which Akamatsu couldn't recognise, but was willing to try with everyone. 

In the corner was what seemed like an old TV. It didn't seem to be working, and Akamatsu didn't know what they would even be able to watch there. Unless the same weirdo who set up the dark room also hid a VHS player somewhere in the school - she wouldn't be surprised. 

What really hit her, though, was the fact she and Tenko apparently had walked into an argument between Momota and Hoshi. 

‘C’mon, dude!’ Momota was begging. 

‘I might consider it,’ Hoshi said flatly, putting a candy cigarette in his mouth. 

‘What's up?’ Akamatsu asked, watching them carefully. She was acutely aware that letting Momota have an argument on top of his anti-Ouma crusade was potentially extremely dangerous for the group. 

‘Oh, Akamatsu,’ Momota glanced at her. Then he noticed Tenko and shuddered. ‘Hey, help me talk him into it!’

‘Into what?’ Akamatsu asked, confused. She looked at Hoshi, who was smirking as if the argument didn't involve him at all. 

‘Momota's trying to talk me into playing ping-pong against him,’ he explained nonchalantly. ‘He can't seem to get that I quit tennis.’

‘No, I get that! But that's not real tennis, right?’ Momota tried to convince Akamatsu to agree with him. ‘It doesn't really count.’

Hoshi closed his eyes and paused as if he was counting to 5 in his head. ‘It has tennis in the name, Momota. Table tennis. It's not the same but close enough for me.’

‘What about pool, then?’ Momota asked. 

‘Why do you assume I want to do anything with you?’ Hoshi answered with a question. ‘Can't you get someone else to play pool with you? Why does it have to be me?’

‘Because you're so doom and gloom all the fucking time, okay?’ Momota explained angrily. ‘It pisses me off. I bet that if you actually played with me, you'd stop being such a goddamn killjoy. Why are you even like this?’ he scoffed. 

‘I see,’ Hoshi said with a sarcastic smile. ‘So you're really doing it for yourself. To make me stop annoying you. I think it would be easier if you just didn't pay attention to me.’

‘Hey, we're on the same team. I can't let you be like that on my watch,’ Momota protested, shaking his head. 

‘Momota-san, please stop. You're not helping the situation. Pressure…never helps,’ Tenko said, glancing at Hoshi. He nodded at her appreciatively. 

‘I'm not trying to pressure! I just want to motivate him, you know?’ Momota said defensively. 

‘Hey, Momota,’ Hoshi called out casually, ‘is Ouma on the same team too, or not?’ he asked, glancing at Momota to see his reaction. 

Momota paused. He clenched his fists a few times and breathed deeply. ‘You know what. Fuck that. You're right. I'll leave you alone if you want that so fucking badly. I'm leaving.’ Having said that, he left the room. 

‘Hoshi-kun, are you okay?’ Akamatsu asked cautiously. 

‘Yeah. Don't worry about me. I wonder if Momota's ever going to realise that his methods are far from perfect,’ Hoshi mused, sucking on another candy cigarette. 

‘Someone should probably tell him,’ Akamatsu sighed. 

‘Tenko can flip him for you!’ she offered enthusiastically. 

‘I'm not sure what that'd prove, but thanks for the offer,’ Hoshi said with a sad smile. ‘I think this will sort itself out eventually…someone less passive than me will eventually snap.’

‘Understood,’ Tenko said, just slightly disappointed. ‘Tenko thinks she's going to go now.’

‘Are you going to be fine, Chabashira-san?’ Akamatsu asked sincerely, looking into her eyes. Tenko looked back into hers with a soft smile. 

‘Yes. Tenko is feeling all right. She just has something she needs to do, and she can now that we're done exploring.’

‘Oh, yeah, the only room we skipped is the bathroom…’ Akamatsu said with a nod. ‘Alright, feel free to go ahead. I'll see you later.’

Tenko left the room, with a determined look on her face. Akamatsu sighed and glanced back at Hoshi. 

***

Chabashira Tenko opened her eyes after having rubbed them intensely. She then rubbed her temples as she walked down the stairs. 

And then, she stopped in her tracks. 

She was almost on the first floor, so close to her destination. However, that had to wait, as a new opportunity presented itself right in front of her. 

A few feet away from her, two people were talking. At the angle, neither of them could see her, and they seemed too busy talking to hear her. 

Perhaps talking wasn't the right word. As far as she could tell, Momota was begging yet another person for something in the voice Tenko hated so much, his voice that sounded like it can turn into a yell at any moment. 

The second person was Harukawa Maki, so small next to him. She had her usual defiant expression on, but it was obvious that she's not as confident as she was back at the trial. Her back was pressing against the wall. 

Tenko felt her blood pressure rising. She remembered Hoshi's words about how beating Momota up wasn't going to teach him anything, but she couldn't sit idly and do nothing. 

‘Halt!’ she screamed, stepping between the two of them. Both of the parties stepped back, startled. 

‘Chabashira? What are you doing here?’ Momota mumbled. 

‘Chabashira,’ Harukawa muttered meanwhile, ‘I can handle this myself. Step away.’

‘I wasn't doing anything to Harumaki if that's what you think, I promise!’ Momota yelled. 

Harukawa glared at him from behind Chabashira. ‘Don't you dare call me that again,’ she warned. 

‘Look, I'll just go, okay?’ Momota offered. 

‘Do. Scram. Don't talk to me ever again,’ Harukawa said flatly, watching as he walked away. She then turned towards Tenko, watching her with an expression she couldn't make sense of. 

‘Tenko's sorry that she meddled,’ she said quickly. ‘You just looked like you need help, Harukawa-san.’

Harukawa’s eyes widened. She looked away, at the wall and then at her feet. ‘I didn't need help,’ she informed finally. ‘Not every girl needs your protection.’

‘Tenko didn't think that-’

‘You thought I'm too weak to tell him to go away by myself,’ Harukawa insisted, circling around her. ‘I'm not weak. I can handle myself. I'm not like Yumeno.’

‘Huh?’ Tenko felt something building up inside her. A new emotion that she couldn't quite put her finger on. 

‘You heard me. You wanted to protect me, but I don't need your protection. Bad things happen to girls you protect. They die. I'm not going to be next. ’ Harukawa’s voice sounded calm, but Tenko sensed extreme bitterness behind it. 

‘Tenko…didn't mean to say you're weak, Harukawa-san. Strong people need help, too, sometimes. And Tenko doesn't see why you would bring Yumeno-san into this…she was stronger than anyone.’

Harukawa looked at her carefully. She straightened her back. 

‘I'm going to say this for your own good. You need to stop looking at Yumeno like that. She wasn't a superhuman. She wasn't particularly special. The sooner you realise she was just a person, the better for you.’ Harukawa bit her bottom lip. ‘And that she didn't like you the way you liked her.’

‘Tenko knows all that…’ she started, but then she realised that no, she didn't. Not really. Not on the level that matters. She might have known that, but buried it too deep to see. 

‘I've been there,’ Harukawa said suddenly. ‘It doesn't help anyone.’

Tenko looked at her with a strange new feeling in her heart.

‘Harukawa-san, what did Momota-san want from you just now?’ 

‘Oh, the space idiot? He wanted me to smile. He said that I'd look better if I smiled. And that I should stop being so cold,’ saying that, she almost chuckled. ’Has that ever worked on anyone?’

‘Are you sure you would have been fine by yourself?’ Tenko asked, relieved to see the issue was relatively innocent. 

Harukawa paused. She looked Tenko in the eyes and then away again. ‘...Yeah,’ she said finally.

‘Tenko's really sorry,’ she said sincerely, bowing her head. ‘She just wanted to prove something to herself by intervening.’

‘Did you?’ Harukawa asked flatly. 

‘No,’ Tenko admitted, smiling apologetically. 

‘That makes two of us,’ Harukawa said simply. Her features softened somewhat, but not enough to form a smile. ‘For future reference, I don't need anyone's help. I'm more professionally trained than you. In ways you can't even imagine.’

‘Tenko never knew that child caregivers were professionally trained! She has newfound respect for the profession!’

‘Yeah, sure,’ Harukawa said almost softly. She was still avoiding eye contact. ‘You can go now that you saved me.’

‘Huh?’

‘You didn't just hang around here to beat Momota's ass. I know that. You were going to the nurse's office, weren't you?’

‘Yes. Tenko doesn't understand…’

‘You don't need to. Just go. Go already,’ Harukawa waved her hand dismissively. 

‘Tenko doesn't think you need to smile to be pretty,’ she blurted out, taking steps towards the office. 

‘Now, really?’ Harukawa scoffed, turning away from Tenko. ‘Gross…’ she added softly. 

***

‘I hope Chabashira will be okay,’ Hoshi mused. ‘Did Yumeno's death mess with her a lot?’

‘Yeah, she's been really down. That's why I decided to explore the new floor with her. I didn't want her to be all alone,’ Akamatsu admitted. 

‘You're a good friend,’ Hoshi stated, sucking on the candy cigarette. ‘Want to know something only I know about Yumeno's murder?’

Akamatsu’s eyes widened. Her heart started beating faster. ‘Of course. What is it?’

‘It could have been me,’ he said matter-of-factly. 

‘Huh?’ Akamatsu tilted her head in confusion. 

Hoshi looked at her for a bit, as if deciding if he should share more. He sighed. 

‘Yeah. I know for a fact that if Yumeno wasn't the victim, I might have been.’

‘How do you know? Was someone targeting you?’ Akamatsu’s concern and confusion grew. 

‘No. Not that I know of. Except for Momota, obviously, but I don't think he's actively trying to murder me,’ he said with a small chuckle. ‘No, it's just based on what I know about myself.’

‘What is it, then?’ Akamatsu asked impatiently. 

‘I guess I don't need to ask if you'll keep it a secret. Nobody would care enough about me to ask,’ he mused. 

‘You know, I'm starting to see Momota-kun’s point. You really are too negative sometimes,’ Akamatsu scolded. 

‘I know that. Sorry,’ he apologised with a sigh. ‘This would require a trip to my room, though.’

‘I'm not doing anything. We can go,’ Akamatsu assured. 

She followed him down the two sets of stairs with growing concern. What was he going to show her? 

Eventually, they reached the dorms. Hoshi led her inside his room and closed the door. As she sat down on the bed, he reached underneath his pillow and took out an envelope, just like the one Akamatsu found under her own bed and then in Yumeno's room. 

‘So, you went and read the motive anyway,’ Akamatsu pointed out. ‘Despite saying that nobody should read theirs?’

‘Guilty as charged,’ Hoshi admitted with an apologetic smile. ‘Figured that it won't matter if I read mine or not, but nobody else should subject themselves to that,’ he explained. ‘I really…desperately wanted to know what the mastermind prepared for me specifically, you know. It was stupid of me.’

‘It was!’ Akamatsu agreed. ‘What do you mean, it won't matter for you, but it will for everyone else?’

‘Because my life is not worth much. Anyway, open it. I want you to see what I saw. I don't think it will require an explanation afterwards.’

Akamatsu looked at the envelope. It was much thinner than Yumeno's or her own. Almost like it was empty… 

She looked inside. There was a single photo inside. She took it out. 

The back of the photo had a sticker that had the text ‘these are all the memories with your loved ones :-)’ printed on it. The theme of printing over handwriting continued… Akamatsu turned the photo around. 

What she saw reminded her of a sight from earlier that day. The overwhelming darkness of the dark room. 

The photo was entirely black. Empty. 

‘Is this a joke?’ she wondered out loud. And then, the realisation hit her. ‘This is horrible!’ she exclaimed, looking at the text again with disgust. She then put the photo back inside the envelope and handed it over to him. 

‘It may be horrible, but it's true, as far as I'm concerned. It just confirmed what I was thinking. That I don't have anything to live for,’ he said with a sigh. 

Akamatsu bumped him on the forehead. ‘Stop saying that, you edgelord!’ she demanded. ‘If you have nothing to live for, what am I here for? Will you tell me I don't care?’

Hoshi stared at her in shock, holding onto his hat. He blinked slowly and smiled. ‘I'll have to give you one thing. You're pretty convincing.’

‘Were you going to let somebody kill you over this?’ Akamatsu asked, concerned. 

‘Akamatsu. I would let anyone kill me for any reason. It's not like my existence is so precious that I can't sacrifice it for someone else. I completely get why Yumeno did it.’

‘I understand why Yumeno-san did it. She was manipulated into thinking like that, and so are you. I'm telling you right now what I should have told her when I had the chance: you deserve to live. There's nothing you can't overcome with the help of people who care about you.’

‘Maybe there's something to that. I don't quite believe it yet, but who knows. I might. You're stubborn enough to keep trying to convince me. I'll probably give in one day.’

‘That's right, I'm stubborn. And I won't let you keep sulking like that. Not because it inconveniences me, although it does. I just believe that nobody deserves to feel like that. Plus, I'm not the only one who cares, I know it.’

‘That so?’ He glanced at her curiously. 

‘Yeah. You'll see. After all, you care about others too, don't you? Why would you bring up that Momota-kun is not being entirely fair towards Ouma-kun otherwise?’ she said with an innocent smile. 

Hoshi pulled his hat over his eyes. ‘I just wanted Momota to see he's a hypocrite and leave me alone,’ he insisted. 

Akamatsu soon left his room and entered her own. It was almost nighttime, and she had spent the entire day walking around. She remembered to collect all of her dirty clothes into a pile. She was going to give them to Toujou in the morning - but at least she could prepare them in advance. 

She leapt under the sheets and fell asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ship tease: the chapter, I guess. Momota continues to be a mess
> 
> Map here! https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/564890149310169091/unknown.png


	26. Chapter 3: Daily Life 3

Akamatsu woke up as the morning announcement started playing. 

She felt ready to take on the day, whatever it might bring. It was a feeling she missed dearly since the trial, which dampened her spirits considerably. Was it the conversation with Hoshi that made her so hopeful?

She rolled over and kneeled by her bed. She took the envelope out from under there and examined it again, just like the first time she discovered it. The neatly-printed kanji spelling out her very own name. The thickness, which now seemed important, knowing that Hoshi's envelope was almost empty, was close to Yumeno's. She assumed it was full of photos or some other type of paper, similarly to the others.

She wondered how many others opened theirs. She knew about Hoshi, Yumeno and Shinguuji for sure...but according to Monokuma, half of the group had looked at the motive, and that number might have changed in the meantime. Did Ouma look at his and find something that prompted him to act the way he did? Whoever Saihara's killer might be, she was sure they fell for the motive as well.

She had no interest in hers. What could it tell her that she would possibly want or need to know? Newspaper clippings about some pianist-criminal? Photos of her family and friends? She had no use for any of that.

She was tempted to destroy the envelope. Perhaps she should burn it somehow? Flush it down the toilet?

For now, she decided to slide it back under the bed and went to the bathroom.

She then remembered the dirty clothes she hadd gathered into a pile. Right, she should give them over to Toujou as soon as possible.

First, she opened the door. Immediately, she noticed Kiibo standing there with a giant bowl in his hands. There were some clothes in it.

'Goodd morning, Kiibo-kun!' she called out, surprised. 'You're collecting the laundry?'

'Good morning, Akamatsu-san!' he responded cheerfully. 'Toujou-san is making breakfast, so she entrusted me with the bowl, since I don't need to eat. Do you have anything I can help with?'

'Yeah, one second!' She grabbed the pile of clothes and gestured at him to come over. She then carefully transferred them into the bowl. She noticed that Kiibo struggled with the added weight at first. 'Say,' she prompted, 'is that too heavy for you?'

'Not at all, I just need to keep adjusting my body with every new batch! My spine is the weakest part of my body now that Iruma-san has upgraded my eyes and feet.'

'She did...?' Akamatsu took a closer look. Indeed, his eyes looked different. He put one leg up to show her his foot – the rollerskates Iruma had shown her were now installed. It seemed that Kiibo could hide and eject the wheels at will, allowing him to go faster. 'That's amazing,' Akamatsu admitted.

'Iruma-san is quite talented! Now I have the vision of an average human being!' he informed proudly.

'Just...an average human being...?' Akamatsu attempted to hide her disappointment. With that build-up, she expected him to have superhuman vision. Then again, she figured, the thought of a self-aware machine that could see all her pores wasn't comforting at all. 'Well, I'm glad. Those seem like convenient changes.'

'I agree! I feel much better now. I think that now she's working on some device for Ouma-kun. I wonder what it's going to be. She hasn't shown me much,' he mused.

'Oh, right,' Akamatsu muttered. The plan to pacify Ouma hd escaped her mind. She couldn't begin to imagine how Iruma was going to handle it. 'Well, I'm going to breakfast. Good luck, Kiibo-kun!'

As expected, the usual group was present at breakfast. Toujou, Shirogane, Momota and Angie were there just like the day before, but now Tenko and Hoshi had joined back as well, filling Akamatsu with a sense of relief. She sat down in her usual spot - between Angie and Ouma's now empty seat. 

‘Kaede! Angie has to admit that the art room is absolutely divine! Angie's been feeling the inspiration from God when she's up there…she feels that she's going to create something amazing now!’ she beamed the instant Akamatsu sat down and grabbed a cup of tea. 

‘Is that so?’ she asked absent-mindedly. ‘I'm glad you've been feeling inspired. I guess having a space just for your talent helps with that…I was the same when I walked into the music room for the first time,’ she mused, overcome with a sense of longing. Maybe she was ready to try playing the piano again now. She wanted that to be the case. 

Angie looked at her curiously, but she didn't say anything, proceeding to focus on her meal. Tenko glanced at Akamatsu with sympathy. 

Then, the least expected person entered the cafeteria. Akamatsu could tell who it was before she looked back, based on Momota's suddenly uneasy expression. 

Harukawa Maki’s steps were so soft that she probably moved inaudibly to a regular person - Akamatsu herself could barely hear despite her perfect hearing, cultivated through years and years of experience with music. 

Harukawa clearly hated having everyone staring at her like that - surprised eyes drilling into her soul. She scoffed and sat down beside Tenko, ignoring the odd look Momota was giving her. 

‘You finally decided to come out of your cage after all, huh?’ he teased with a grin. ‘I knew it was bound to happen eventually, no matter how stubborn you are!’

‘Do not talk to me,’ Harukawa said calmly with a hint of a threat. ‘I just wanted to eat is all…it's none of your business.’ She froze as Toujou set a bowl of oatmeal in front of her. It almost seemed like she had prepared it in advance. Akamatsu wouldn't be surprised if her maid sixth sense revealed to her that Harukawa would come. She always seemed to know things in advance and act accordingly. 

Just like the time after the first trial, Harukawa looked at the food in front of her in awe. Akamatsu thought that it looked like Harukawa had never had anybody make homemade food for her…that couldn't have been the case, could it? She slowly started to eat, avoiding eye contact with everyone else. 

Akamatsu deliberately avoided talking to her. If she points out the fact Harukawa finally joined the group, even for a moment, out of her own will - she might get embarrassed or irritated and leave only to never come back again. Akamatsu couldn't risk the possibility of ruining whatever progress the quiet girl might have made. 

Harukawa finished her meal and grabbed the bowl. She got up from her seat and looked straight at the sink, focused like a hawk. She then started walking towards it, Akamatsu realised, with the intention of washing it. Oddly, she thought, that was the first time she noticed anyone even think to do the dishes in Toujou’s stead. Despite her own conviction to help Toujou, she noticed that she herself didn't actually put away her dishes even once. 

Harukawa went to grab the sponge. Toujou stood beside her, about to offer her help. Harukawa gave her a defiant look and began washing the bowl, not breaking eye contact even for a second. Toujou hesitated, debating whether to make Harukawa hand over the sponge, but finally she bowed her head and stepped away to take care of other things. 

Akamatsu was speechless. It was possible all along, then. Harukawa’s willpower against Toujou’s sense of responsibility…was a particularly amazing duel to witness. She felt validated in a sense - not even Toujou, the woman who kept saying that she won't allow anybody to take over her duties, knew how to talk to Harukawa and convince her of anything. 

As Akamatsu was looking in their direction, she wasn't paying attention to the door, at least until, from the corner of her eye, she noticed Momota getting up from the table and pointing at the door angrily. She let her eyes wander in that direction. 

‘What the hell is he doing here?’ Momota complained, watching Ouma, who had just walked in, carefully. 

‘He's unarmed,’ Harukawa pointed out, walking towards Ouma and grabbing him by the wrist. ‘As far as I can see, at least. All he has is a piece of paper. Someone like him probably wouldn't do much damage with that.’

‘I'd be offended in any other situation, Harukawa-chan,’ Ouma stated calmly, making no attempt to wrestle his wrist out of her grip. ‘I come in peace! Kidding, there will never be peace between me and Momota-chan! I have something for Angie-chan though!’ he waved the hand that was holding the paper towards her. 

Harukawa led him towards the table, still tightening her grip around his wrist to the point where Akamatsu was sure there was no blood circulation in his arm at all. He seemed entirely unfazed, though, wearing the same expression she remembered from the time Momota choked him - unmoving, everlasting calmness in the face of pain and possible death. It made her wonder if perhaps he was somehow immune to pain - it didn't seem that far fetched, considering everything. What was his past like? Was he ever tortured? Anything could happen to a supreme leader, she guessed, trying to distract herself from the sight of Harukawa’s nails digging into Ouma's pale skin, just deeply enough to sting but not cause bleeding. 

Angie grabbed the piece of paper from his hand and looked at it curiously. Akamatsu leaned over her shoulder to take a peek herself. The contents must have meant, something, right? She felt her heart beating faster before she looked. 

The last thing she expected to see was a drawing. It was simple, but didn't exactly fit the category of stick figures - more so it was a round and cartoony sketch, drawn in crayon. Nowhere near the level of artistic skill of Angie, but still pleasant to look at. It depicted two figures, which, as far as she could tell, were Angie and Ouma himself - the latter wearing his (now long and flowing dramatically) cloak and holding the key. The drawings appeared to be holding hands. 

‘What…what is that?’ Akamatsu asked weakly, glancing at Angie's face. She appeared to be smiling as per usual - it was like a mask, permanently covering her emotions, positive and negative. No matter what, Angie was always smiling. 

‘It's a drawing, Akamatsu-chan. I thought you'd be able to tell that much,’ Ouma explained calmly. 

‘Are you making advances towards Angie-san, you terrible menace?’ Tenko asked, horrified. 

‘Nope, of course not. The only girl I have my eyes on is my beloved Akamatsu-chan,’ he claimed, winking at her. Akamatsu scoffed. Was he trying to make it an inside joke between them? Was he genuinely pretending to be into her despite explicitly telling her he's gay? She couldn't tell what was the lie there, but she didn't have to roll with it either way...not to be his accomplice. 

‘Stop that,’ Harukawa demanded, narrowing her eyes at him and tightening her grip. 

‘Jeez, all of you are taking this soooo seriously,’ Ouma complained, rolling his eyes. ‘I just wanted to draw something for Angie-chan because she's been super nice to me lately unlike all of you meanies. I mean,’ he added cheerfully, ‘she's wrong to defend me, because I'm a murderer, of course! But I suspected her when she did nothing wrong in Gonta's trial, you know? Might as well make up for that before Momota-chan murders me in my sleep. Like I murdered poor Saihara-chan!’

‘Is that really all?’ Momota asked, gritting his teeth. He clearly didn't appreciate being compared to Ouma, by Ouma. ‘I would never fucking murder you in your sleep. I'm not a coward. I'd duel you, if anything, but that would be unfair too - physical strength is not your forte,’ he added bitterly. 

‘I see! That's why you choked me instead, makes sense, very honourable and fair,’ Ouma said, nodding. ‘That's so very shounen protagonist of you, Momota-chan.’

‘Oh! Isn't it?’ Shirogane perked up. ‘I can't wait for the part of his arc where he makes a speech about friendship at you! I feel we're getting close to it!’

‘Shut the fuck up!’ Momota cut her off, irritated. ‘Don't enable him!’

‘Thank you, Kokichi,’ Angie said suddenly, looking up at him. ‘That's a lovely drawing. Angie will treasure it.’

The room fell silent. Ouma smiled widely, as if he was genuinely proud of himself. Harukawa’s grip on his wrist loosened just a bit - he was making no attempt to regain full control of his arm. It really appeared that his intentions were entirely harmless. 

That's when Iruma stomped into the room and grabbed his collar, yanking his entire body back. Harukawa instinctively let go of his wrist, surprised. 

‘Are ya done, you bastard?’ she asked, tapping her foot on the floor. ‘I let you do this shit before I lock you up, but I'm out of patience so I hope you're finished here. Didja kill anyone again?’ she mocked, cackling, then looked around the room to make sure everyone was still alive. 

‘I think I'm done, Iruma-chan,’ Ouma coughed out. Her grip on his collar made it harder to breathe. ‘I don't think anybody will miss me.’

‘Great,’ Iruma said flatly, dragging him back. ‘Everyone, say bye to this shitty twink! The golden-brained Iruma Miu will make sure you're safe from him and his bullshit!’ she boasted, stomping out of the room. 

When she left, the group didn't get much time to breathe after Ouma's strange gift to Angie. 

‘Hey, you bastards!’ Monokuma’s voice called out to them. Multiple people jumped in their seats. 

‘Kyaaah!’ Shirogane shrieked. 

‘Were you here the entire time?’ Harukawa asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Akamatsu wondered if she wanted to grab Monokuma’s paw like she did Ouma's wrist. Did bears even have wrists…? 

‘Harukawa-san, you should already be aware that I'm always with you. Even if I'm not here physically, I'm here in spirit! Literally. I can see and hear everything through these cameras,’ he explained, pointing up at one of the security cameras. 

‘What do you want, then?’ Harukawa asked calmly. 

‘I've been thinking,’ Monokuma said, looking at Momota, who was watching the bear carefully, ‘and I came to the conclusion that Momota-kun was right. It would be a big waste if we ignored Saihara-kun’s death entirely, however tempting it is! Even in death, I'm not interested in thinking about his whining. Anyway…I think I found the perfect solution that might satisfy Momota-kun’s thirst for justice! Wanna hear about it?’

‘No,’ Akamatsu said firmly, getting up from her chair. 

‘Akamatsu, why the fuck not?’ Momota asked suspiciously. ‘You got anything to hide from us? Why should we not take this?’

‘No! I don't have anything to hide,’ Akamatsu protested, shaking her head, ‘I just know what Monokuma is doing. He's trying to divide us further and cause another murder. Don't you see that?’

‘M-maybe, but…I'd still like to know what this is about…you know, just in case?’ Shirogane said hesitantly. 

‘Hearing him out won't hurt. We can just not to whatever the hell he wants from us,’ Momota pointed out. ‘And if there's even a sliver of a chance to do anything for Saihara…’

‘That's true…I don't want to just leave it unsolved…’ Akamatsu admitted reluctantly. 

‘Let's hear what Monokuma has to say,’ Angie said, still staring at the drawing. 

‘Speak,’ Harukawa ordered, glaring at Monokuma. 

‘Good choice! Anyway, I decided to give you a chance. It's not going to be easy, but you should appreciate that I'm doing anything for you to begin with. What I want you to do is…tell me how the murder went down.’

‘Huh?’ Momota's eyes widened. 

‘You know how Akamatsu-san always summarises what happened before you vote? I like that. She tends to be off on the details, but it's still mostly right. It's entertaining, for me personally, to watch you guys try to describe a murder you never saw…and I really want one of you to do it for Saihara-kun’s murder, you know? But you can't half-ass it, no! I don't just want the name of the culprit and the murder method! Describe the entire thing to me! Upupu…’ Monokuma cackled, holding his stomach. 

‘Wait, we just have to tell you how we think the murder went down? Just like that?’ Momota asked, confused. ‘So I can make up any old bullshit? That doesn't solve anything!’

‘Oh, you'd better be right. If you accuse the wrong person or get anything wrong, I will punish you…but if you get everything right, I might punish the culprit. I think that's a fair tradeoff. By the way, the culprit is obviously the only person I'm not expecting this from…since they already know how it went down. It wouldn't be fair. Besides, what would I do then, execute them as a reward? Honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm going to do yet.’

‘So if we get it wrong, we get executed…and if we get it right, the culprit gets executed?’ Akamatsu asked. 

‘I never said ‘executed’. I said ‘punished’. What that means is up to me and me only. Maybe if none of you get ut right, I'll just execute everyone but the culprit? Anyway, there's a time limit on this offer…48 hours from now, let's say. After that time, I want you all to abandon hope of ever solving that case.’

‘Hmm...so all we get is that if nobody says anything…we'll leave Saihara-kun’s murder unsolved?’ Shirogane asked. 

‘Pretty much. I might change my mind about it, though. For now…that's the stake. That and the culprit’s identity and life, of course,’ Monokuma added with a grin. 

‘I see…’ Shirogane murmured. ‘I don't think it's worth it, but at the same time…how could would it be to solve the case…I would make Akechi Kogoro proud,’ she added under her breath, contemplating. 

‘Is that everything you wanted?’ Harukawa asked, tapping her foot. 

‘Yep, just some food for thought for you bastards. I'll disappear again now, but if there's anything anyone wants to tell me, privately, just say my name and I'll come to you…upupu,’ he giggled, and seemingly disappeared immediately. 

Harukawa left immediately after. Multiple people followed her, since they were done eating. Akamatsu was just getting up as well when someone called out to her. 

‘Hey, Akamatsu,’ Momota said quickly, ‘I have a question for you.’

‘What happened?’ she asked, sitting back in front of him. ‘Do you want to talk here?’ she made sure. Shirogane and Hoshi still hadn't left, both drinking coffee. Toujou was transferring plates and bowls from the table to the sink. 

‘Yeah, yeah. Actually, if either of you want to help,’ he said at Hoshi and Shirogane, ‘I guess I'd appreciate your input.’ He hesitated, remembering how detached from reality Shirogane could be. 

‘What is it?’ Hoshi asked flatly. While it was obvious that he wasn't interested in talking to Momota, he still perked up as soon as his presence was acknowledged. 

‘I have some questions, and I need honest answers. You, Hoshi, along with Akamatsu, are the two people who seem like you won't hesitate to deliver. Akamatsu in particular, because you're a girl…’

‘Oh no…’ Akamatsu muttered. 

‘...who also likes girls, and that's perfect for one of my questions.’

‘What does that have to do with anything!’ Akamatsu cried out, embarrassed. 

‘...is that true, Akamatsu-san?’ Shirogane asked, suddenly interested. 

‘Yeah, yeah, it is,’ Akamatsu admitted. ‘I didn't think you'd remember that, Momota-kun.’

‘Look, I'll cut to the chase,’ Momota said impatiently. ‘It's about Harumaki. I don't think she likes me, and I don't get it. What do you think I'm doing wrong?’

‘Harumaki…? Oh, Harukawa-san,’ Shirogane realised. ‘I don't think she likes anyone, it may not be your fault…’

‘What do you mean, doesn't like you?’ Hoshi asked, finishing his coffee and looking up at him. ‘She didn't seem to like you during the trial because you suspected her, if that's what you mean. Otherwise, I need to know more.’

‘I talked to her yesterday,’ Momota admitted with a sigh. ‘I ran into her by the library, and I wanted to be friendly, so I tried to make her smile. Instead, she told me to go away…and then Chabashira came out of nowhere and told me to leave her alone. Made me feel weird, so I just left. I still don't understand what I did wrong.’

‘Wait a second,’ Akamatsu said quickly, ‘how did you try to make her smile?’

‘I told her that she must have a nice smile and I'd like to see it or something,’ Momota explained, scratching the back of his head. ‘I don't remember exactly. She didn't like it, either way.’

‘Of course she didn't like it!’ Akamatsu exclaimed, while Shirogane groaned loudly. ‘No girl likes to be told to smile by a guy.’

‘This is the completely wrong strategy for her personality type!’ Shirogane added. ‘It will only make her more closed off! How can you not know that? You need to be very careful when talking to a tsundere!’

‘...what?’ Hoshi was so confused that he paused with a candy cigarette a few inches away from his mouth. 

‘A tsundere! Did you really not notice? Harukawa-san is all tough on the outside and soft on the inside! Somewhere! That's why she came here today. But you should never point it out to her. She doesn't want you to know she has any softness in her,’ Shirogane explained. 

‘I have to ask,’ Hoshi said, changing the topic, ‘what did you expect to accomplish? Were you trying to flirt? Because what you said sounds like catcalling at worst and unsolicited flirting or advice at best.’

Momota paused, taken off guard. He thought about it for a few seconds. ‘Nah, I wasn't trying to flirt or anything. I'm not into her like that. If I have to be honest, I jyst don't really feel comfortable with women like her, or Chabashira for that matter.’

‘Women like them…?’ Akamatsu tilted her head. ‘In what way?’

‘They're…rough around the edges,’ Momota admitted reluctantly. ‘You know, I'm not used to women being so…’

‘Confident? Strong?’ Hoshi suggested.

‘...more or less,’ Momota admitted. ‘I always thought girls are supposed to be, you know, softer? That's really not what I'm used to.’

‘Momota-kun, are you a time traveller?’ Shirogane asked, staring at him, puzzled. ‘I haven't heard any guy my age say things like that, I don't think…you have talked to girls before coming here, no?’

‘Not that much,’ he said, stroking his goatee nervously. ‘I don't recall talking to girls much. I was never interested. As a kid, I mostly did manly stuff instead, so I figured I had nothing to talk about with them. Akamatsu…you're probably the first girl I was interested in getting to know more.’

‘Is that so…’ Akamatsu muttered, smiling awkwardly. 

‘That explains some of it,’ Hoshi remarked. ‘Look, to me that sounds like a you problem, not a Harukawa problem. She doesn't owe you anything, none of us do. I think,’ he added, looking him in the eyes, ‘what you need is some self-reflection. None of us can really help you get over your preconceptions about women.’

‘You should probably be less...forceful,’ Shirogane added, sweating nervously. 

‘Am I too much? Be honest. I can take it,’ he said with a smile, bringing his fist up to his chest. 

‘You are,’ Akamatsu said firmly. ‘I kind of relate to that. I think we have similar goals…I want to bring everyone together, too. But whenever I try to force someone to talk or hang out with the rest of the group, I catch myself realising it might not be the way to do it. It's hard to balance it out, but you have to think about the good of the person first, you know? We'll work on it together.’

‘Yeah…’ Shirogane avoided eye contact. ‘I…I got pretty scared when you y-yelled at Ouma-kun…even though he's a murderer and deserves it, b-but…’

‘I think your heart is in the right place,’ Hoshi said, ‘but you need to knock it down a notch. Don't go scaring people off. I think you're going to be fine. I might…eventually agree to play something with you. But you need to change your attitude first.’

Momota remained silent when the other three talked. When Hoshi was done, he smiled, stroking his goatee absentmindedly. 

‘You gave me a lot to think about. Thanks. The one thing left bothering me…I wonder about the thing Monokuma said.’

‘Are you going to give it a try?’ Shirogane asked. 

‘Nah, not yet. I don't have a solid enough idea of how he did it yet. I might try to investigate on my own though…I'm not gonna give up! I was given this last chance to catch the culprit, so I have to take it! For now, I'm gonna train. Thanks again for listening to me, guys!’ Momota said with a grin before running off. 

‘I think I'm going to go,’ Shirogane stood up with a sigh. ‘I need to think about things as well.’

‘I'm gonna go too,’ Akamatsu said. She needed to get her mind off everything. The best way to do that was using the gatchapon and then talking to more people, as she always did. 

‘I'm staying for now,’ Hoshi said, closing his eyes.

Akamatsu and Shirogane left the cafeteria and both went to enter the school store. 

‘Ah, you're going in here as well?’ Shirogane asked nervously. 

‘Hm? Yeah, I'm gonna get some stuff from the gatchapon,’ Akamatsu explained. 

‘Ah! I'm just getting water from the vending machine,’ Shirogane said, quickly entering the code. She paused for a moment. ‘Akamatsu-san, is that just me or is Momota-kun kind of suspicious?’

‘Suspicious?’ Akamatsu was surprised. ‘I just think he's hotheaded. What do you mean?’

‘He's so obsessed with Ouma-kun being guilty…which, I think he is, too, but…Momota-kun is so sure of it…it almost seems like he's shifting blame.’

‘Well, Ouma-kun sure is playing along,’ Akamatsu remarked, inserting a coin. ‘Besides, Momota-kun has an alibi, doesn't he? Ouma-kun is the one who ran off.’

‘Ah, that's true, but maybe he committed the murder later? He was in Saihara-kun’s room, wasn't he? The Monokuma File just said Saihara-kun died after 10am, so it could be any time after…’

‘I don't think the file would say that then…it would say around or after 11am, because that's when the body was found… Besides, he was with Toujou-san, wasn't he? I think she would have noticed.’

‘Hm, maybe you're right…it's just weird to me, is all.’

‘I'm sure. But we can't go around accusing everyone with no basis, you know? That's what Monokuma wants,’ Akamatsu said softly. She was starting to think that Shirogane simply suspected everyone at once. Was she suspicious of her, too…? 

‘You're right...well, see you later, then,’ Shirogane said, scurrying out of the room. Akamatsu continued playing with the gatchapon until she ran out of coins. 

Well, who should she hang out with now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FTE VOTE, PICK TWO -> https://www.strawpoll.me/17807538 (Ouma is unavailable because he's in gay baby jail)
> 
> Anyway uh. Y'know, I often see people say that Momota would get over his prejudices if someone pointed them out to him - so here is his chance. Will he take it? We'll see.
> 
> Also, your boy has a job now, which means that it might take more time and energy to write. Patience will be very appreciated <3


	27. Chapter 3: Daily Life 4

Akamatsu climbed up the stairs. Something told her that that's where she was going to find the person she was looking for.

'Hoshi-kun?' she called out, entering the rec room. Indeed he was there, standing beside the pool table. He turned towards her curiously.

'Hey, Akamatsu. What is it?' he asked absentmindedly.

'I just wanna talk, if you don't mind,' she said, sitting on the couch.

'I don't mind, but I still can't understand why you'd wanna hang out with me. I told you, didn't I? I'm not worth the effort. Well, unless you're dying to help me practice.'

'No, not really. I've never played before, so I'd make a pretty lousy practice partner anyway,' she pointed out, chuckling. 'You need to stop asking why I want to hang out with you. I just do. You're a good person, even if you're bit of a downer. By the way, since you're practicing...you've accepted Momota-kun's challenge?'

'Maybe,' Hoshi said vaguely. 'I'm considering it, let's say. By the way, I went and made sure he won't do that again, for your sake.'

'Huh?' Akamatsu had no idea what he meant.

'He technically outed you to us this morning. Shirogane and I won't give you crap for it, I don't think anybody in the group will...but it's still your choice, not his.'

'Oh.' Akamatsu was pleasantly surprised. 'Thank you for that. It would have been awkward for me to approach it. Oh, by the way!' She opened her backpack and took out a pack of candy cigarettes. 'I got you another one, since I know you love these. Take it as a token of my thanks or something.'

'Bribing me again, huh?' Hoshi teased, taking the candy. 'I kid, I kid. Don't give me that face. We can talk if you want to. I'll just practice by myself later. Thanks for the cigarettes.'

'Now, seeing you decide that ping-pong is different enough from tennis to be comfortable with...it makes me wonder what happened to make you so uncomfortable to begin with.'

'Of course you're curious about that. Concerned busybodies always ask or at least want to ask why I gave up on tennis...but I'm not going to tell you. Not yet, at least. Maybe...maybe one day. It's just not something I'm ready to relive.'

'I get it, I do. But, you clearly loved tennis a lot, didn't you? Didn't you have friends or rivals that you remember fondly, even now?' she tilted her head slightly. He smirked at her, disarmed.

'Boy, you are persistent. In a way, I respect that you never entirely let go...Friends and rivals, hm? Yeah. I had those, of course. As for if I remember them fondly...I guess there were a few. I had this senpai at the club who was even better than me. I could never quite match him, even though I am the one who ended up with the title of Super High School Level Tennis Player...in my opinion, he'd probably deserve it more.'

'Huh? Even better than you?' Akamatsu was impressed.

'Yeah. He was our captain. My one regret from the time when I played tennis...was that I could never break his zone. And now I never will.'

'Break his zone?'

'A skill where he can stay in a single spot and continually return the ball. It's really difficult to do, obviously. I can't do it. But he could. I always looked up to him in a way...he was a constant reminder that I still got a ways to go. He wasn't the only one. There was also and underclassman who was considered a genius. I could never tell what he was thinking, but his skill...it was amazing. Thinking back, everyone in the club was more deserving of the SHSL title.'

'There was definitely a reason why you got picked, though,' Akamatsu insisted. 'And I can tell you what it is. Your drive to learn from others and improve! That's one of the most impressive things out there! I can tell you still have the passion for it.'

Hoshi hesitated. He pondered on her words for a bit. 'Maybe you're right. But everyone else there was passionate too, you know? As for my rivals...there were a few interesting ones, too. Some really tough opponents. But, that...that's too close for comfort. Talking about my rivals wouldn't make sense without telling a certain story that I can't tell you yet.'

'I understand. We'll come back to that when you're more comfortable. But, Hoshi-kun...the passion I see in you...it proves to me that you shouldn't give up on tennis. See, I'm in a bit of a similar boat right now, with my piano...'

'What happened?' Hoshi asked, concerned.

'I...I haven't played the piano downstairs since Yumeno-san's murder. It's just that...in a way, I feel responsible. The culprit...Shinguuji-kun took advantage of my performance in his plan. I didn't even get to perform in the end, but now I worry that if I ever play the piano again, something terrible will happen. It's stupid, but...'

'It's not stupid at all,' Hoshi assured. 'Sometimes you can't help but blame yourself. Take your time to heal, Akamatsu. You're sturdier than me, and stubborn on top of it. I know that you'll be playing the piano again anyday now. Before that happens, though, just know that you don't need music to inspire others...your words and emotions are enough to move even an edgelord like me,' he added, saying the last words with a quick wink.

Akamatsu smiled up at him. That was exactly what she needed to hear. Perhaps she had more in common with Hoshi than she thought.

'Hoshi-kun, you heal too, okay? You're already taking steps towards it, I can tell. If you ever feel like confiding in me, I'll hear you out, you can bet on it! Enjoy your table tennis practice. I might drop by whenever your match with Momota-kun is happening, so let me know!'

As she was leaving the room, she noticed, from the corner of her eye, that he was smiling at the ball he was holding.

Akamatsu went down the stairs. Before she decided to move forward, she just had to go into the music room…just for a moment. 

The piano was standing there as always, waiting for her. Angie's sculptures were resting on top, as if to guard it from harm. There was something reassuring about that. 

But, no…not yet. She couldn't. The wound hadn't fully healed yet, but she expected that it would soon. Now, she had to find the other person she was dying to talk to that day… 

Akamatsu found Harukawa in a place she didn't expect - resting by the tree on the second floor. Seeing her outside was puzzling enough, but she didn't seem to be interested in relaxing there before. Things change, it seemed. Or perhaps she didn't know enough about Harukawa at all. 

‘Hey, Harukawa-san!’ she greeted, careful not to startle the other girl,who was clearly deep in thought, sitting on one of the benches. 

‘Hey. What is it?’ Harukawa asked flatly, glancing at her suspiciously. 

‘I was thinking that, if you don't mind, we could maybe hang out?’ Akamatsu suggested cautiously. 

‘Hang out? Hm,’ Harukawa paused, breathing deeply. She really was giving it a lot of thought… ‘Fine, if you insist. I'm not doing anything right now anyway. Just don't annoy me.’

‘I have something for you,’ Akamatsu added quickly, taking something out of her backpack. It was a small ladybug-shaped brooch. ‘I thought that it'd suit you well…’ she added sheepishly. She really did immediately think of Harukawa after pulling it from the gatchapon machine. There was something mature about it despite the silly and cheerful presentation. 

Harukawa immediately took the brooch out of her hand, examined it closely with critical yet curious eye, and pinned it to her jacket, right over her chest. It really did look quite lovely on her, fitting with the maroon vest she was wearing. 

‘Thanks,’ she said flatly, desperate to wash her voice off any emotion she could be showing. ‘I'll treasure it. Much appreciated. Al that. Now, what did you want to talk about? Let's get to it.’

Even when she supposedly wasn't doing anything, Harukawa put up the attitude of having no time to waste on things like silly small talk or other pleasantries. Akamatsu couldn't help but notice that even Hoshi made her feel less like a nuisance in comparison. 

‘You know, I was just thinking that I expected you would be more worried about the children,’ Akamatsu said sincerely. 

‘The children? You mean the ones back at the orphanage? No, they'll be fine without me. They've been through a lot. Besides, where I grew up, you learn to take care of yourself very quickly…that's just a fact of life. And on top of that, there were older kids there, so I'm sure they'll protect the little ones in my stead,’ Harukawa insisted, staring off at the wall. 

‘I'm sure they can make it and all, but don't you think they miss you? You're like a big sister to them, I'm sure.’ Akamatsu resisted the urge to ask if Harukawa misses them too. That was likely to get her to never say another word again. 

‘Maybe. I didn't really think about that this way. Kids don't really get attached to specific people so much in my experience. As long as you spoil them, they like you. It doesn't have to be me. In fact,’ she narrowed her eyes slightly. ‘It probably shouldn't be me. I don't like children, nor am I good with them, so I honestly have absolutely no idea why they flock to me like that…’

‘Hey, don't say that. You're a wonderful person, and I'm sure the kids could sense that.’

‘Here you go again. You don't really know anything about me. For all you know, I may not be a good person at all,’ Harukawa said with a frown. ‘I'm not sure what the kids sensed in me, but I doubt it's got anything to do with my good heart or whatever you may have imagined about me.’

‘Well...I don't think you're a bad person, in any case. This might be nosy of me, but I wonder how you ended up taking care of children if you don't like them at all,’ Akamatsu mused. 

‘It wasn't my choice,’ Harukawa explained. ‘I…I just grew up in that orphanage, so eventually I was asked to help, and now we're here.’

‘I see…’ Akamatsu said softly. So she was one of the older kids taking care of the younger ones. 

‘There's no point in worrying about the children now. For all I know, the orphanage might not even exist anymore. And well, it's not like I'm making it out of here, so it's useless in principle.’

‘You can't know that. I really believe that we're all going to get out of here! Escape should be our top priority!’

‘Seriously?’ Harukawa scoffed. ‘You saw what happened to the last person who made escape their priority. The priority, if anything, should be survival. Then again, even that may not be so important. Besides, do you really think that whoever trapped us here will just let us out? Don't make me laugh.’

‘If they don't end this game, we will. We can all force them to end it if we work together!’

‘Work together with strangers? No, thanks. That's never going to work. And before you tell me we're not strangers…how much do you really know about anyone here? We can't even be sure that there isn't a spy amongst us. Or, worse even, that one of us isn't the mastermind behind this hell. No, I don't see why you would believe that we can do anything but try to survive for as long as possible.’

‘That's such a pessimistic outlook… I get it, it's hard to trust people. But it's worth it in the end, I think. That aside, I was wondering…what do you even do as a child caregiver?’

‘You really are into my talent, huh? Maybe you should be the one doing my job instead…’ Harukawa paused. ‘It's exactly what you would expect. Normals stuff. We play with the kids and make sure they don't do anything stupid and get hurt. Might read them bedtime stories. So on.’

‘Ah, that is pretty normal,’ Akamatsu admitted, sounding mildly disappointed.

‘Well, yeah, what did you expect?’ Harukawa looked at her with irritation. 

‘I dunno, some kinda super skill! A special child care technique!’

‘That's stupid. No such thing exists. Do you have a special piano technique?’

‘No…I just play.’

‘Case in point. I just do my job as well. Nothing special about it.’ Harukawa closed her eyes. ‘Leave. I'm done talking. I need to relax now.’

‘Oh, sure. See you later!’ Akamatsu chirped, waving at her. Was their conversation that exhausting…? Harukawa seemed to be enjoying herself for most of it… 

When Akamatsu glanced back at her, Harukawa was looking at the brooch curiously. She couldn't hide how much she liked, in that short moment of letting her guard down. 

***

Toujou Kirumi opened her eyes. She had closed them upon entering the nurse's office - the bright light was quite blinding. 

She looked around. It was her first time there. Out of all the newly unlocked rooms, she felt most drawn towards the laundry room, and she had spent most of her time there. However, she had business in there now… 

She knelt down and opened one of the cabinets. Iruma had said it was there, no? The pills she needed, because the supply she had in her room was about to run out. In fact, she was surprised to hear that such pills were even there to begin with… 

Ah, there it was. Estradiol. She slipped two boxes at once into her pocket. That was easy. It was almost too thoughtful of the mastermind, or Monokuma… Now, was there anything else she needed? 

Someone entered the room. Toujou flinched, but she turned around with a calm face. She had mastered the act of seeming unaffected over the years. 

‘Iruma-san,’ she said matter-of-factly, bowing her head a bit. Iruma glanced at her, opening a different cabinet. 

‘Hey. Don't mind me,’ she insisted, searching for something. ‘I'm not gonna judge whatever gets you high, goth tits. I have my own shit to find.’

‘With all due respect,’ Toujou remarked, watching her carefully, ‘I do believe you should be careful with drugs, Iruma-san. We should be mindful of the resources we're given in this place, and it would be quite dangerous for you to get addicted.’

Iruma looked at her with a condescending smile. ‘I'm not actually getting high, goody two-shoes. I legit have meds I need to take to keep my golden genius brain goin’,’ she explained, showing off the box she had grabbed. Adderall. ‘I mean, I could get high off that,’ she remarked with a shrug, ‘but I also need it. Do you think I should take all the boxes?’ she asked, tapping her chin. ‘Don't answer that. I'm just gonna do it.’ Stuffing her pockets full, she looked at Toujou fearfully. ‘You're not gonna rat me out if I snort this, will ya?’

‘No,’ Toujou promised, hiding a smile behind her glove. ‘Someone else might need it, though,’ she remarked as a warning. Her own pills were burning a hole through her pocket now, reminding her of their presence. She too was debating taking more. 

‘They ain't gettin’ high off my meds,’ Iruma scoffed, stuffing her overalls. ‘Say, I have a question for you, stick-up-the-ass.’

‘What is it? I will try to answer all questions you might have,’ Toujou responded patiently, bracing herself. She could never quite follow Iruma's thought processes, so she didn't know what to expect. 

‘Are you for real? With the whole ‘serving everyone, even Ouma’ business?’ Iruma asked nonchalantly, standing up with her front pouch stuffed. 

‘Of course,’ Toujou said quickly, straightening her back. ‘It is my duty to serve everyone here. No matter what happens, I will not give up on that. Ouma-kun is obviously included in that, although in his case I have to mindful of everyone else's safety.’

‘Tch,’ Iruma clicked her tongue. ‘Y’really feel like that? The guy's shady as shit even if he didn't do the murder.’

‘The morality of my clients is not my business,’ Toujou insisted firmly. That much was true. She was never concerned with what her clients were like ethically. The difference between serving a yakuza boss or a school principal would have no bearing on the quality of her service. 

‘I kinda like that,’ Iruma admitted. ‘You're a rotten bitch with no backbone, goth tits. Speaking of your service, though…’ she took a few steps towards Toujou, ‘are ya tryin’ to tell me you're employed by all of us at the same time?’

‘No. Presumably, I do have an employer outside the school waiting for me to come back and continue serving them. However, while we're all here, I am your maid and as such my top priority is your comfort.’

‘What if one of us wanted to hire ya?’ Iruma asked tilting her head. ‘Say, what if a certain girl genius wanted to make you her super special maid right now?’

Toujou hesitated. She could tell that Iruma seemed genuinely interested in her…was it just about hiring her? For what purpose? ‘Right now, I would reject the offer, just as I rejected all the others. However, once the game is over and I can leave and establish my situation with the previous employer, I would consider it,’ she said the last few words with a soft smile. 

‘Once we get out, eh?’ Iruma pondered. ‘Fine, I'll get ya out of here, then. Iruma Miu will show her genius once more!’

‘Huh?’ Toujou’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Iruma-san, what are you planning to do?’

‘That's my business. Point is, I'm gonna get us out of here. After all, there's nothing I can't do,’ she said with a proud grin. 

‘You would go to such great lengths simply to hire me?’ Toujou asked in disbelief. Of course, she was sought after back in the outside world as well. A talented maid, in certain circles, is an absolute necessity, and there was no one better than her.

‘Nah, dumbass. It's not really about just hiring you. Although,’ she added, playing with her hair shyly and blushing, ‘you'd do me a big favour if ya helped me test all my kinky shit out.’

Ah, that was the point, then… Imagining herself in the grip of Iruma's shibari machine, Toujou smiled and walked towards the door, slowly. She turned towards Iruma silently with a somewhat flirty smile. ‘Iruma-san, as I am already your maid, I can help with anything you need already,’ she informed, leaving the room. The last thing she saw of Iruma was her dumbstruck, blushing face. 

***

Akamatsu Kaede was walking down the stairs. After taking her mind off things for a while, she now had to return to the reality of their situation. 

She had to find Ouma. Firstly, it was necessary to know where he was being kept. Secondly, a certain question couldn't leave her head, and she needed it answered as soon as possible. 

As soon as she went down the stairs, she ran into Iruma, who was leaving the nurse's office in a daze. While she was exactly the person Akamatsu needed, she wasn't all too comfortable with the encounter. 

‘Bakamatsu! Watch yer fuckin’ step!’ Iruma scoffed, snapping out of her spaced out state immediately. 

‘Iruma-san, you were the one who walked into me,’ Akamatsu pointed out politely. ‘I was actually looking for you,’ she added. 

‘What do ya want?’ Iruma asked, immediately comforted by the thought of being needed. ‘I'm a busy woman, you know.’

‘I know, I know,’ Akamatsu assured. ‘I just wanted to ask where you're keeping Ouma-kun.’

‘Oh, jeez. Why do you need him? Are you two planning to kill me in my sleep?’ she asked, shuddering. 

‘No, no,’ Akamatsu insisted, smiling awkwardly. ‘I just need to know where he is in case something happens, god forbid. You know?’ 

Iruma hesitated, sweating profusely. Finally, she gave in. ‘Fine, I'll show ya everything. But I'll be watching you the entire time! Don't count on any intimacy! And don't think even think about plotting shit behind my back!’

‘I wasn't going to do any of that,’ Akamatsu muttered under her breath, following Iruma into the warehouse. Was Ouma really being kept here…? It didn't seem to safe to her. 

Iruma led her behind the aisles, into an open space in the back. There he was, Ouma Kokichi. Akamatsu gasped and covered her mouth. 

Iruma's fingerprints were all over the contraption he was currently entangled in, smiling up at her innocently. There were thick cuffs around his wrists and ankles, connected by a solid chain. His tiny body was slightly hunched over, and the cloak he was still wearing made him look like a sad bird resting after a fight with a cat. Both sets of cuffs, on top of being chained to each other, were also chained to the floor he was sitting on, weighing him down. As she noticed, there were also some sensor-like devices attached to parts of his body. Her eyes wandered around simply to avoid looking at him directly. To the left of his body…

Oh. Well, that looks familiar… 

‘Iruma-san, is that the button for the v-’ she didn't get to finish, because Iruma covered her mouth immediately. 

‘Yeah, it's the same button as the one I lent to Saihara. Gotta recycle, y'know? Iruma Miu is as eco friendly as she is gorgeous!’ she cackled grossly, covering up her nervousness. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. 

‘Hello, Akamatsu-chan!’ Ouma chirped from the floor. ‘I see Iruma-chan didn't let you play hide and seek with me on your own. Boo.’

‘What is that for, anyway?’ Akamatsu asked, pointing at a board that was sticking out of the wall around the level of Ouma's face. 

‘That's where Toujou-chan is going to put my food and tea, Akamatsu-chan. Sadly, she refuses to starve me. I'm sure Momota-chan is disappointed,’ Ouma explained sarcastically. 

‘She's gonna bring him morning tea and something to eat, and if he needs anything afterwards he'll ring me up with the button,’ Iruma explained, ‘but obviously I have the right to ignore that. I wanted to give him a bucket to piss in but then I figured that I shouldn't have to deal with that in my warehouse. So, we're also gonna be walking him to the crapper if he needs that.’

‘Is this really necessary?’ Akamatsu asked, mildly horrified. 

‘I can't ask him to stop producing piss, Bakamatsu.’

‘No, I mean...this whole thing.’ She gestured towards the contraption. ‘Is this really the most convenient way of dealing with this? If you need to take him out of this to pee, why is it so complicated? Wouldn't it be easier to set up a baby monitor in his room or something?’

‘It's not complicated at all,’ Iruma protested. ‘I can open the whole thing in a second. Besides, baby monitor, really? He'd break that shit in seconds. Nah, this is the best way.’

‘If you can open it in a second, he'll find a way to break out too…’ Akamatsu pointed out. 

‘Nah, see, if he tries to take it off, he'll be shocked immediately. No shady shit on my watch. Besides, someone will be with him most of the time. Kiibs doesn't sleep, I'm up all night working most of the time, whatever have you. And I bet you will check on him all the time as well, you fuckin’ sap.’

‘What is that supposed to mean…’ Akamatsu muttered. ‘Nevermind that, I don't understand how this works but…I guess there's no better way, huh.’ She looked over at Ouma who looked like he had no intention of even trying to break out. Naturally, that made it all the more likely that he was planning something. ‘Ouma-kun, I have a question.’

‘A question for me? Now that's new. We can talk if Iruma-chan leaves for a bit. I can tell this is something she shouldn't hear,’ he said with a grin. 

‘Iruma-san, could you leave me alone with the prisoner for a second?’ she asked, begging with her eyes. She even bowed her head a bit. 

‘Ugh,’ Iruma groaned, ‘I said I wouldn't allow it, b-but,’ she stuttered, playing with her hair. ‘Fine, just this once, but make it short. I need to piss anyway.’

Once they were alone, Akamatsu looked him in the eyes. They didn't tell her anything. 

‘What are you dying to know, Akamatsu-chan? Oh, oops, I guess that phrase is not appropriate here, huh? Nishishi~’

‘Tell me how you did the murder. Please,’ she requested with just a hint of emotion. Ouma's catlike eyes lit up. 

‘Akamatsu-chan, so you finally believe I did it! Man, it's kind of unfortunate that it took me killing Saihara-chan for you to realise that I'm serious. Oh, well, better late than never!’

‘Stop stalling and just tell me,’ Akamatsu demanded, irritated. ‘You shouldn't be proud of that anyway.’

Ouma paused, looking up at her with a bright smile. ‘Isn't it obvious, Akamatsu-chan? I played a prank on Toujou-chan.’

‘Huh?’ Akamatsu was startled. ‘A prank? How was murder a prank?’

‘Oh, it's just part of it. See, I took Toujou-chan’s key, of course. I'm pretty good at pickpocketing so it was easy-peasy! And then I killed Saihara-chan for his crime of being suuuuuper boring! Nobody noticed when I sneaked off, nishishi… I went into his room, saw his ugly sleeping face, and found it so gross that I just had to choke him! I couldn't look at it anymore! And then, after I killed him, I sent to play hide and seek! I really hoped that Toujou-chan would find me, but she didn't even notice her key was gone. The rest is history.’

Akamatsu stared at him intently. She was thinking hard. ‘Where did you hide?’ she asked finally. 

‘Hm? Why should I tell you? That's cheating! You should have found me yourself. Now it's going to be my sweet secret,’ he said with a toothy grin. 

‘Okay, then,’ Akamatsu said slowly, ‘if I went up to Monokuma and told him that's how the murder happened, would he tell me I figured it out and execute you?’

Ouma tilted his head. ‘How should I know what Monokuma would do? I mean, other than the fact Monokuma is totally my pawn and I control him.’

‘Nobody told you?’ Akamatsu wasn't surprised. It was better for many people if he doesn't know. However, she needed to check something…

‘Told me what, Akamatsu-chan? You really need to stop being so vague!’ she could tell he genuinely wasn't aware what she meant. That, or he played it really well… 

She looked around. Iruma still hadn't come back. Perhaps a quick piss turned into something else.

She leaned towards Ouma, so close that her lips were just a few inches away from his ear. 

‘Monokuma’s new motive. He said that if someone tells him exactly how the murder happened, he might punish the culprit or let the person who figured it out graduate. The culprit is the only person excluded from the chance to retell the murder, since they obviously know how it happened,’ she paused, smirking, ‘but that doesn't mean I couldn't ask the culprit and find everything out myself!’

‘Wow, Akamatsu-chan! I had no idea you were so devious! I was right to want you in my organisation. Anyway…,’ he paused. ‘That's interesting but not to me, right?i can't say anything, because I am the culprit, you know?’

‘Of course,’ she said matter-of-factly, ‘but I wonder if someone knows what happened at the crime scene, or suspects anything, is going to take the chance. By the way, I just remembered! What did you do with the tray?’

Ouma stared at her blankly. 

‘You know, I've been wondering what happened to it, since I didn't notice it at the crime scene. I kind of forgot it was supposed to be there…I thought that maybe you could tell me what you did with it?’

‘I took it, obviously,’ he informed. ‘Just like the skeleton.’

‘Just like the skeleton. I see,’ Akamatsu mused, nodding her head. ‘Thanks. That's been bothering me. Toujou-san didn't know either.’

Ouma remained silent, wearing a soft smile. It betrayed nothing of his inner feelings, but it told her more than she needed to know. He too probably knew that - there was simply nothing he could do to hide even more. 

She left the warehouse, wondering why on earth Ouma had the impulse to grab the tray from the crime scene, but not the button.

***

After all that, she desperately needed some peace. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to be given any for a while, because she ran into Angie as she was leaving the library, multiple thick albums piling up in her arms. 

‘Ah, Kaede!’ she squeaked out, balancing the books desperately. ‘Angie got a rush of inspiration! She's going to get to work now!’

‘Work? That's great,’ Akamatsu said absentmindedly. ‘What kind of ideas did you get?’

‘Angie was thoroughly inspired by Kokichi’s work. She knows what she has to do now! No time to talk!’ she explained frantically, running past Akamatsu. It was a wonder how she was going to run up two flights of stairs without all the books spilling out of her arms. 

Akamatsu was left in a state of awe and confusion. Angie was planning to stay up late and work. She already dropped all the rules she implemented after the first trial, it seemed, and along with it she decided to make peace with her art. Perhaps Akamatsu should do the same and reunite with the piano she had rejected after the murder. It had been on her mind all day for a reason. 

First, though, she needed something to eat. She decided to go to the cafeteria and grab something simple, but she wasn't going to get much peace there either. 

‘Good evening, Akamatsu-san!’ Kiibo greeted cheerfully from one of the tables. There, Shirogane was admiring his upgrades. As Akamatsu noticed, Kiibo now had a hat that matched the scarf Toujou had made for him. 

‘Ah, good evening,’ Akamatsu greeted back politely, grabbing a cup of coffee and some cookies. ‘What are you doing here, Kiibo-kun? Learning about food again?’

‘Yes! Toujou-san showed me how to make tea. Unfortunately, it appears that I shouldn't drink it. But then Shirogane-san joined me and she's been telling me all sorts of interesting things,’ Kiibo explained. 

Oh, god, Akamatsu thought. She had a bad feeling about whatever Shirogane could teach Kiibo about humanity. 

‘Akamatsu-san, looking at Kiibo-kun’s enhancements, I realised there is a crucial similarity between us!’ Shirogane informed, her eyes burning with passion. ‘Iruma-san fixed his eyesight in a way that resembles my glasses! That means we are both megane characters now!’

By Shirogane standards, that was a relatively normal observation. ‘I didn't think about it that way, but you're right, actually. It kind of is like glasses,’ Akamatsu admitted. Before she was forced to hear about Kiibo’s predicted character arc, she preemptively decided to change the topic. ‘Shirogane-san, I actually have a question for you. About cosplay.’

‘Akamatsu-san, did I finally interest you in the wonderful world of cosplay? I'll answer any questions you have! Fire away!’ Shirogane encouraged, leaning forward with fiery eyes. Akamatsu had to admit that her enthusiasm was extremely charming, even if she had absolutely no idea what it was about. After all, wasn't she the same about piano? 

‘It's kind of a weird question, so forgive me, but…would you be able to cosplay a real person? Like, would you be able to make a cosplay out of one of us?’

‘Oh, forget that! I would never!’ Shirogane exclaimed defensively, shaking her head. ‘It's a cosplay crime to cosplay as a regular human being! That would defeat the purpose! I would never commit such an unprofessional act!’

‘Sorry, sorry, I did say it's a weird question!’ Akamatsu waved her arms apologetically. 

‘Ah, I know. It's just a sore spot. Besides, I wouldn't be able to cosplay as any of you anyway. See, I'm allergic to fabric,’ she explained more calmly. 

‘Huh? Then how do you…?’

‘All my clothes are made out of special fabric. If I were to borrow your clothes or something, I'd get a horrible rash…it wouldn't be pretty,’ she added, shuddering.

‘I see, thank you. I was just curious,’ Akamatsu said meekly. There were many things in the past days that she was just curious about.

‘That's interesting,’ Kiibo remarked. ‘I physically cannot get a rash, so I can't imagine what that's like. It does sound unfortunate though.’

‘Don't you have an equivalent of skin problems?’ Akamatsu asked. 

‘Don't you rust or something?’ Shirogane added, looking him down curiously. 

‘No! That wouldn't happen!’ Kiibo protested, frowning. 

Akamatsu decided to grab her cookies and leave the ‘meganes’ to their cultural exchange. 

***

Akamatsu decided that she will have to leave her reunion with the piano for the next day. She was entirely too tired to risk a negative emotional response. 

She went to her room with a cup of tea and a bag of cookies. They were quite good. She guessed that, in a morbid way, the killing game at least allowed her to not care about her diet much at all. 

She lied down on her bed and continued to eat the cookies out of the bag. No matter how crunchy they were, they couldn't distract her from the thoughts she had been trying to keep under wraps. 

Was she any closer to figuring out the mysteries of the school? She could almost see some vague hint about the identity of the mastermind, but it all might be a false lead. 

Before she knew it, she was fast asleep, an open cookie bag leaving crumbs on her bedsheets. 

***

MONOKUMA THEATER

The best game in existence? Mafia, of course. Do you even need to ask? 

There's nothing about that game that's not perfectly enjoyable for this bear. 

Of course, I always take on the role of the MC so I can watch the others scramble to figure out who's the mafia. 

There's something inherently beautiful about watching the ignorant masses try to find the traitor and kill each other in the process of elimination. 

It's so rewarding to watch them sacrifice someone completely innocent because they don't like his face. Humans are funny like that. 

The second best game? Why, dangan ronpa of course. 

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /dabs  
> The FTEs for the entire chapter have been decided which is convenient for me. Happy early Easter guys!
> 
> A note: this might be a total mess. My apologies  
> A note 2: yay meds


	28. Chapter 3: Daily Life 5

Akamatsu woke up, immediately feeling comfortable. Like there was something on her face.

She wiped heer mouth and cheeks. Crumbs. She looked around, alarmed. That's right, she had fallen asleep while eating cookies...well, that was unfortunate.

She got out of bed and collected the cookie bg, which had fallen off the bed. She was going to have to throw it in the trash. Wasn't there a trash can in her room...?

She found it in the bathroom. While there, she took the opportunity to wash her face off the crumbs. Her hair was a mess after the night. She combed through it with her fingers until she was satisfied.

The state of the bedsheets wasn't too bad. She could simply sweep the crumbs off into the trash can, which she had brought over for that purpose. Luckily, none of the mess got onto the floor. She set the trash can back in the bathroom with a sigh.

A part of her was tempted to go back to bed. Facing the day, with all the thoughts running through her head, seemed like a challenge she wasn't ready for. Then again, if she doesn't suck it up, who will keep the group together? She inhaled, exhaled, and opened the door.

'Good morning, Akamatsu-san!' Kiibo greeted her cheerfully. He was holding the laundry basket again. 'Is there anything I can help you with today?'

'Good morning, Kiibo-kun. No, not really. You're collecting laundry again?' she asked, closing hr door.

'Mhm! The laundry from yesterday is currently drying so it will be returned later today. In the meantime, I'm ready to take in a second batch if necessary!' Kiibo was clearly proud of his role.

'Hm, well, I did spill crumbs on my bedsheets, but I cleaned it up myself already...so I don't think I have anything I need right now. Somebody might, though!' she said encouragingly. 'By the way, I didn't get to say it before, but I really like your scarf and hat! They suit you!' 

Kiibo made a muffled sound and hid behind the basket. She could have sworn he was blushing. Could a robot blush? 'Th-thank you, Akamatsu-san! Toujou-san made them for me!'

She put a hand on his shoulder. 'You look great! Well, I have to get going, I'm kind of hungry. I'll see you later!'

The robot nodded, and she went on her way. She really was starting to get hungry.

As sh was about to enter the cafeteria, Akamatsu noticed Shirogane standing around near the entrance to the shop. She seemed to have been deep in thought, much like the first time she saw her, back on the first day. In fact, now that she remembered, after Saihara, she was the first person she got acquainted with, wasn't she… It all seemed so long ago. 

‘Hey, Shirogane-san?’ she called out, pausing in her tracks. No reaction. The other woman was still staring off into space. 

Akamatsu walked over and waved her hand in front of Shirogane’s face, snapping the fingers of her other hand. Finally, Shirogane blinked slowly and her eyes focused. 

‘Oh, sorry!’ she said, noticing Akamatsu. ‘It seems that I spaced out again!’

‘Are you okay?’ Akamatsu asked, mildly concerned. ‘You were just kind of…standing around here…’

‘I'm alright. I was going to the cafeteria but I got distracted by my own thoughts, so I simply stopped until I figured everything out,’ she explained. 

‘What did you figure out?’Akamatsu asked, inching closer. She partially blocked the nearest camera's view just in case. 

‘Ah, see, since Monokuma gave us that challenge yesterday…I've been trying to recreate that morning in my head. Everything that happened. Since, it could be useful, maybe…I hate feeling so useless. B-but after all this time I still don't remember when I lost sight of Ouma-kun…so I don't think I'll ever know for sure. He's too skilled at being a villain!’

‘He sure is,’ Akamatsu admitted, thinking about something else. ‘Look, I think we should focus on other things. Like finding the mastermind!’

‘The mastermind?’ Shirogane’s eyes widened. ‘Say, do you think it's one of us or someone on the outside? I-it's hard to imagine that one of us could, could…’

‘I'm not sure, but it doesn't make much sense for me that the mastermind would join the game. It could easily get them killed. Then again, it'd be easier to watch us like that…I don't know, but I will find out! Once we know the mastermind’s identity, they will have to let us go!’

‘I didn't think of that…that really does sound like a chance to escape. I'll do my best to help you! I'll report back to you if I see anything suspicious, so we can figure it out together! You've been so helpful when I needed to bounce my ideas off someone, so…’ she trailed off, fiddling her fingers. 

‘Yeah. We'll do Akechi Kogoro proud,’ Akamatsu saud firmly, looking back at the camera. ‘But we need to be stealthy,’ she added, ‘so just keep acting natural.’

‘Of course!’ Shirogane confirmed enthusiastically, nodding her head. ‘We should probably head to the cafeteria now, though. I'm starting to get hungry,’ she added with an awkward smile. 

Soon enough, Akamatsu entered the cafeteria at last, along with Shirogane, both taking her usual seats. She immediately noticed that Angie wasn't there yet. She didn't know what to make of it, but the fact gave her a bad feeling. When Toujou set her food in front of her, Akamatsu noticed that the maid’s face was flushed. She decided against asking about it for now, as she didn't want to distract Toujou from her duties. 

As she was about to say good morning to Tenko, the door opened loudly, turning eyes. After the previous morning, Akamatsu almost expected to see Ouma again, even though she was sure that he was safely bound to the floor of the warehouse, possibly watched over by Kiibo or Iruma. 

When she looked towards the door, she was immediately proven wrong, as the person approaching the table was none other than Angie, hiding something behind her back, with a grin on her face. There were paint splatters all over her clothes and skin, making it looks like she had just gotten out of a fight or rolled around in paint. 

‘What the fuck?’ Momota mumbled with his mouth full. That seemed to release some of the tension in the room. Akamatsu let her muscles relax. 

‘Tenko!’ Angie exclaimed cheerfully. ‘Angie has something she needs to show you!’

Tenko blinked, startled. She got up from her seat, ready to defend herself if need be. ‘What is it, Angie-san?’ she asked carefully. Clearly, she too was intimidated by the paint splatters resembling bleeding wounds. 

Without a word, Angie revealed what she was holding behind her back and held it out to Tenko. Akamatsu swallowed her food and looked over Tenko's shoulder. 

It was a painting of Yumeno. There was no doubt about that. Angie captured her likeness perfectly, as if she recreated a photo she had somehow taken and kept before the mage died. The detail on the hair was impressive. 

Yumeno from the painting looked calmer than Akamatsu ever remembered real Yumeno appearing. Her eyes were closed, long dark eyelashes grabbing one's attention. Her lips were curled into a small, soft, almost unnoticeable smile. Her pale skin appeared lit up by a subtle blush.

She wasn't wearing her signature hat, which, Akamatsu had just realised, she hadn't seen since they found the body. She wondered if Tenko kept it as a memento, led by the same impulse that led Akamatsu to grabbing Saihara's hat from his pillow, the instinct of keeping it safe along with the owner's memory. Yumeno from the painting, meanwhile, was wearing a flower crown so realistic that Akamatsu felt like she could not only touch it but take it out of the painting. 

There were feathers floating in the background of the painting, and, Akamatsu realised, it appeared that there were wings behind Yumeno as well. Perhaps, she thought, that's what Angie needed references for the previous evening. 

Akamatsu glanced over at Tenko's face to check her reaction. She seemed completely in awe and startled at the same time. She was biting her lips as her eyes took in every detail of the painting. 

‘Angie knew that you were sad over Himiko’s death, Tenko,’ Angie said softly. ‘Angie was sad too. But she wanted to make everything up to you, so she stayed up and-’

She didn't get to finish. Tenko carefully set the painting aside on the table and wrapped her arms around Angie. She seemed to want to say words of thanks, but kept choking on them, as well as the tears that had began streaming down her cheeks and were now falling onto Angie's back and shoulders. The other girl didn't seem to mind, returning the hug with a gentle smile. She was radiating peace and positive energy. 

Akamatsu realised that, perhaps, in a way, the painting was an apology for something that wasn't Angie's fault but seemed to have hurt Tenko regardless. After all, Yumeno decided to spend her last moments with Angie rather than Tenko, and never confided in the latter, instead dismissing all her attempts to get her to open up. It was obvious to Akamatsu now that Yumeno much preferred Angie's company, and perhaps, unbeknownst to her, there was tension between them over it. 

Now, though, it seemed that things were going to be fine, or so she hoped. While Tenko was clinging onto Angie, shedding tears all over her bright yellow coat, the rest of the group was admiring the painting, in awe of Angie's skill. 

Akamatsu looked back at the two girls with a smile. So that's what God inspired her to make in the art room all by herself. It definitely took all night, even with Angie's skill. 

Eventually, Tenko let go of Angie. Her eyes were red and swollen, but in a way, that was the most beautiful she's ever looked - that, Akamatsu mused, was just proof that there was nothing more beautiful than human emotion. She reached over and gently stroked Tenko's shoulder.

'Angie, that's incredible,' Momota said in awe, looking at the painting. 'I'm not really an art guy, but this is amazing. You should paint me in space next!' he added, bouncing in his seat. 

'Angie will see if God blesses her with inspiration for that, Kaito,' she assured. Akamatsu chuckled quietly into her hand. 

The girls finally sat back down next to her and the breakfast went on, punctuated only by Tenko's sniffling. She was careful not to cry onto the painting. 

'Are you sure Tenko can have this?' she asked, finally able to speak. 

'Of course! Angie made it for you.'

'Tenko thinks…that maybe it shouldn't be hidden away like that. She wants everyone to be able to see.'

'Hm?' Angie tilted her head. 'That's okay too. Angie has been planning to paint all of the people who died, so we can make a display when she's done!' 

'Oh, that's a great idea!' Shirogane seconded enthusiastically. 

'Angie is going to keep working, then!' she informed and left the cafeteria in a hurry. Tenko followed her out, carrying the painting. Presumably, she was going to keep it safe until they decide what to do next. 

Akamatsu went towards the sink with the intention to clean her plate. She quickly turned on the water and looked towards Toujou. 

She was standing nearby with a faint smile. When Akamatsu looked at her, she nodded. 'As you wish, Akamatsu-san,' she said, disarmed. Her face was still flushed slightly. 

'Toujou-san, did something happen? You seem kind of excited!' Akamatsu asked innocently, washing the dishes. She noticed that the blush had deepened slightly as Toujou put her hand up to her face. 

'Excited?' she asked, clearing her throat. 'I suppose I'm just happy and relieved that the plan with Ouma-kun has been working out so far. I've been consulting it with Iruma-san, and…' she paused for a bit, 'I've also been helping her test out certain inventions. It is quite a new experience,' she admitted finally. 

Toujou, helping Iruma test out her inventions…? The image that sentence created in Akamatsu's head made her cheeks turn pink as well. She shook her head slightly, attempting to regain composure. Toujou would definitely not get involved in anything like that… 

'I see. That sounds fun,' she said diplomatically. 'Just don't overwork yourself, yeah?' 

'I shan't. Soon, after everyone is done with breakfast I'm going upstairs to take care of the laundry, which isn't too demanding a task. If you need me, that's where you're most likely to find me for the next hours.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' Akamatsu assured, nodding. She was planning to talk to Toujou at a later point, so that information was extremely valuable. She finished cleaning the plate and carefully put it away. She was somewhat proud of herself. 'Okay, I'll see you later!' she chirped, waving at Toujou. 

A few people were not done with their breakfast yet. Akamatsu decided to leave the cafeteria already, not looking back at them. 

Right now, there were many things on her mind. Some questions for certain people, some things to think through by herself. 

For now, though, she knew who she needed to talk to first. She went upstairs in silence, clenching her fists. One flight of stairs, then the next one. She paused. There it was. The art room. 

She didn't want to interrupt Angie's creative process, but she was curious about some things regarding her fellow artist. Perhaps she could watch her at work for a bit and just talk. 

She stood in front of the door for a bit before finally knocking. She waited patiently. 

'Kaede!' Angie exclaimed as soon as she opened the door. 'Do you need anything from Angie?' 

'I kind of just wanted to talk,' Akamatsu admitted, smiling awkwardly. 

'Oh!' Angie opened the door wide for her. 'Angie is working, but she doesn't mind company. Come, come!' she grabbed Akamatsu by the wrist and dragged her inside before closing the door. 

There were multiple canvases around the room. As Akamatsu noticed, there were paintings in various stages of completion on them, all appeared to be of their dead classmates. Had Angie started them all along with Yumeno's, or did she do this much since she came up here after breakfast…? Either way, she was impressed. 

She walked around the room as Angie started touching up one of the paintings. First, she stopped in front of what appeared to be one of Amami - there was no way to mistake his calming smile for anybody else's even with his signature green hair missing from the picture for now. His eyes looked into hers, as if saying that everything is going to be okay. 

Beside that canvas was the one Angie was now working on, carefully colouring in the skin. That painting definitely depicted Saihara, the same face she remembered from the last time she saw the body before the trial - eyes closed, paleness of the skin around his nose, messy hair. It was uncanny how well Angie depicted all of those details, especially in a painting that was otherwise unfinished. 

In the middle of the room was a platform with references on it. Indeed, it appeared that based on the books she had borrowed Angie prepared a flower crown out of paper, as well as paper wings…that explained those elements in the Yumeno painting. She was afraid to touch the props, but she could tell the feathers were as realistic as they could possibly be, being made of paper. 

Then, she glanced at Angie's face…and almost screamed. The pupils of her unblinking eyes were so small…was this a trance? Is that how she got the paintings done so fast? 

'Hm, Kaede?' Angie glanced over at her suddenly. 'Are you okay? You wanted to talk, yes? Why are you not talking?' 

'W-well…I was just amazed by your art. Oh, by the way, I have something for you!' she remembered, taking said something out of her backpack. It was a sketchbook. 

'Oh my!' Angie exclaimed, accepting the gift. 'That's divine! This is exactly what Angie needed! Kaede, thank you for this inspired gift!' 

'You're welcome. So, uh…' Akamatsu looked around. 'I've been wondering about your work ethic, so I'm glad you let me watch you at work. You finish the paintings really quickly, huh?' 

'Mmm-hmm!' Angie hummed. 'When Angie feels God's inspiration in her body, it's so easy to create! Her hand just moves on its own, and then the painting is done! Divine, isn't it?' 

'That sounds like the right word,' Akamatsu admitted reluctantly. Watching the painting process, she could almost believe that Angie was possessed by something. 'That's amazing talent.'

'Hm, talent? No, no, it's just God's work! Angie is simply a vessel, remember?' she reminded, narrowing her eyes. 

'Well, you're an amazingly talented vessel, then,' Akamatsu offered diplomatically. 'Is there significance to the uh, flower crown and wings?' she asked to change the topic. 

'It's a tradition back home to decorate corpses with bird feathers and put flower crowns on their heads. The feathers symbolise the freedom of their souls, as they are freed from the material world! The flower crowns are an offering for god so they can get accepted into the afterlife more easily!' she explained cheerfully.' Since our friends couldn't be buried like that, Angie was told to paint these depictions of them to help them get into paradise and be entirely freed from their past on Earth.'

'Oh,that makes a lot of sense, actually.' At least, it made sense from a religious perspective. 'So thanks to these paintings, our dead friends are not going to come back to haunt us or something?' 

'Hopefully. Angie hopes the offering will be good enough. She's been praying a lot, too, but art is the best prayer for her, you know!' 

'So you're doing this for all of them…even Shinguuji-kun.'

Angie froze. Then, she slowly blinked and inhaled. 'Angie isn't sure what's going to happen with Korekiyo,' she said in a hollow voice. 'Her feelings towards him matter not in the grand scheme of things, as God is the one who decides, but she's been having a hard time praying for him.'

'Angie-san…he lied to both of us, didn't he?' she said, biting her lip. The memory of it still stung.

'Mhmmm. But, Kaede, don't you agree with him? You were the one who said that we should try to get out of here at all costs, even though Angie told you that we have to live here…' she said hoarsely, glancing at Akamatsu. 

'...Huh? We have to try to get out of here! We can't stay here forever! That's what the mastermind wants. They're counting on us just giving up, but we can't!' Akamatsu protested. 

'Oh? Ohohohoh? Kaede, it's obvious that the mastermind wants us to be sooooo desperate to leave that we kill each other, when we could just live here! Don't we have everything we need?' 

'No! We're at the mercy of the mastermind, whoever they are! This is an illusion meant to make us give up on trying to leave. Don't you miss home?' 

'Home?' Angie hesitated. 'Angie doesn't need to go back home. She left home, and now she's here. That's how it's meant to be. Who is she to rebel against the will of God?' 

'Are you saying God trapped us here? That's…that's messed up. We have to find out who did this and hold them accountable! And then get out!' Akamatsu clenched her fists. 

'Kaede, there's no need to get this angry. If people want to leave as much as you, they will kill someone again…would you kill someone?' 

'Of course not! I want us all to get out! Are you trying to accuse me of something?' 

Angie simply looked at her with an innocent smile, not saying anything more. She then turned to the painting and continued touching it up. 

Akamatsu stormed out of the room and closed the door. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. 

She needed to talk to anybody else to calm down. 

Was her position really seen...like this? Or was it Angie that was wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the previous poll ended in a 3-way tie for second place, I decided those will be the remaining FTEs. Other than Angie's we still have Kiibo and Toujou, which is exciting!  
> Happy late Easter, guys! Thanks as always for the support.
> 
> ALSO! HBD TODD


	29. Chapter 3: Daily Life 6

Toujou Kirumi was, predictably, found in the laundry room. She had just finished hanging some clothes out to dry. They were meticulously sorted into categories. There was a basket full of clothes ready to go as well.

Akamatsu looked around, impressed but slightly horrified.

'Hello, Akamatsu-san. Did you come to pick up your laundry?' Toujou asked, glancing at her curiously.

'Ah, sure. I mostly wanted to talk, though. I almost forgot that I had any clothes in the wash, actually,' Akamatsu said embarrassed. 'Oh, also!' she added quickly taking something out of her backpack. It was a sewing kit. She handed it over to the maid.

'Thank you very much. This is perfect for me. I will treasure it greatly.' Toujou bowed her head with a soft smile.'You request a conversation with me, yes? Very well. I can take a small break,' Toujou complied, taking a step towards her. 'Is there anything else you need?'

'Do you have to always make this so formal?' Akamatsu asked, knitting her eyebrows. 'Agh, I really need to say something now!'

'Is it a request, Akamatsu-san? Don't hesitate to state it if so,' Toujou said flatly.

Akamatsu pointed her finger at the maid. 'That! That right here is the probem! Your best and worst trait in one!'

'I beg your pardon?' Toujou took a step back.

'You spoil everyone too much! You're all about these requests...Ouma-kun asking you to play hide and seek, Iruma-san making you test out her inventions...and doing everyone's chores like this! Everyone's going to become too dependent on you, since only Harukawa-san thought to do her own dishes!'

'I do not mind. It is a part of maid's duty to be reliable at all times. Serving others is what a maid truly desires,' Toujou retorted.

'That's not what I mean,' Akamatsu said, shaking her head. 'I know you enjoy serving others, I don't have an issue with that, really...but think about the others. Ouma-kun already treats you like you're his mom. Do you want that? Do you want others to call you 'mom'?' Akamatsu asked.

'No...' Toujou clenched her fists. 'Despite everything, I have no desire to be anyone's mother. Please, do not call me that. We are around the same age, all of us.' 

Akamatsu thought about that. Nobody was sure how many months or years had passed between the day they got their invitations and the day they woke up in the school. As far as they knew, they might all be different ages, as well...but Toujou was right, there couldn't be much of a difference.

'I wonder about that...we have no idea how old we really are right now...'

'I have a rough idea,' Toujou said. 'It's based on the changes I see in my body compared to my memories of myself.'

'Huh, really?' Akamatsu was too tactful to ask about the details.

'Yes,' Toujou confirmed, clearing her throat. 'At least about two years must have passed since then. It's not worth dwelling on, however. As I was saying, I am nobody's mother.'

'See, if you don't want to be called that, you have to stop doing things for everyone!' Akamatsu insisted. She was tempted to ask about the other thing Toujou said...at least two years? Now that she thought about it, her memory self probably differed from the current Akamatsu Kaede, but she chalked most of it up to the stressful environment of the school. She could hardly remember what she looked like on the first day before many sleepless nights and trials painted permanent bags under her eyes.

'Akamatsu-san, I don't think you understand what the role of a servant is. A servant performs their duties while also respecting their master as a person. As such, a servant does not "spoil" anyone.'

Akamatsu paused, looking down. 'You're right. I don't understand. And I think that maybe nobody here does. That seems to be the problem. Your intent doesn't get through to us.'

'What do you mean by that?' Toujou asked, tilting her head.

'I'll try to explain this as best as I can. Your intent...is to serve but not spoil, right? I don't think...it's coming across this way. You know, even though when I play my piano it's because I want to bring people joy...not everyone will appreciate it. It's similar.'

'I see. If someone doesn't like the sound of piano, they will not enjoy your performance. They will find the song cacophonous.'

'Mhm...I wish people developed greater appreciation for music. Anyway, that's not really the point! The point is that others may misunderstand your intent and reject it or take advantage of it! I imagine someone like Ouma-kun or Iruma-san might want to test the limits o what you'd do for them, while Harukawa-san seems to want to do everything herself and might resent you a bit. Those you want to help may not appreciate it properly. And you should think about your needs too!'

Toujou brought her finger up to her chin and hummed. 'I'll come across as if I'm spoiling others if I don't consider my own needs, correct?'

'Exactly! And that's not the kind of maid you want to be, is it?'

'Of course not. I aim to be the best at what I do. I now understand that in my pusuit of selfless devotion, I need to keep my own satisfaction in mind. Thank you, Akamatsu-san. That was an important lesson. However, I'm not sure how to impplement it yet.'

'Hey, don't mention it. I was just worried, is all. Glad that I helpeed you figure it out. As for how to implement, it, huh...' Akamatsu hummed, deep in thought. 'It's hard to keep your needs in mind without accidentally becoming selfish, huh. I'll tell you something, don't sweat it! Just, like, ask yourself if you're too tired to do something, or if you think it would be better if someone did it themself. For example, I think it would be better for all of us if everyone washed their own dishes. I'm kind of embarrassed about not starting earlier.'

'It is fine. I see what you mean...I suppose personalised approach is necessary here. I shall consult you if the need arises,' Toujou said with a smile.

'And remember, be kind to yourself. Tiring yourself out won't make you any more amazing than you already are!' Akamatsu added with a wink. 

The maid's face flushed a shade of pink. She cleared her throat and smiled gently. Even someone so stoic wasn't immune to compliments, eh?

'Of course, Akamatsu-san. Thank you for teaching me many important things today.'

Akamatsu decided to leave her to the laundry duties. It seemed like that was something she genuninely enjoyed doing, so she didn't have the heart to again insist to split it fairly between everyone in the group. It was like Toujou had found a space she could call her own, with the washing machines' silent work calming her soul and the warm iron fitting right into her hand.

Akamatsu, meanwhile, had somewhere else to be.

Having said her goodbyes to Toujou, Akamatsu headed towards the stairs. She glanced at the art room door. The thought of the earlier argument with Angie wasn't leaving her head. She should make peace with the artist, but for now...she couldn't. She had yet to come to terms with what Angie's perspective meant to her.

Instead, she headed downstairs. There was something else she needed to make peace with today.

She quietly entered the music room. Her eyes widened. Somebody else was there – coincidentally, someone she wanted to talk to as well.

'Good afternoon, Akamatsu-san!' Kiibo exclaimed, noticing her from the corner of his eye. 'I expected you'd come here eventually.'

'Were you looking for me?' Akamatsu asked, mildly surprised. 'That's great, because I've been meaning to talk to you, too!' she informed, sitting by the piano. The keys were calling out to her.

'Ah, well...' Kiibo looked down at his feet, fiddling his thumbs. 'I thought you would be able to help me with something, Akamatsu-san. If you want to, of course. Is there a reason why you wanted to talk to me?'

'I'll see what I can do to help you! Before I forget, though, I have something for you!' she said cheerfully, taking an autumn-coloured scarf out of her backpack. 'You like scarves, right? I thought that you'd want a second one for when the one Toujou-san made is in the wash!'

'Akamatsu-san...that's such a thoughtful gift!' Kiibo's eyes seemed to sparkle. 'I'd love to try it on right now!' he exclaimed excitedly.

'I can do that for you!' Akamatsu got up from her seat and went to wrap the soft scarf over his shoulders, when she noticed something interesting on his neck. It was...a button. The desire to push it made her freeze in place.

'Akamatsu-san, is everything okay?' Kiibo asked, concerned.

She couldn't answer, utterly hypnotized by the button. It was calling out to her...she couldn't not press it! It was impossible to resist that temptation!

She reached over his shoulder and pressed the button quickly.

*beep*

The noise made her concerned. Did something happen...? She looked back at his face curiously. His eyes had gone black. His mouth was hanging wide agape. He wasn't moving at all. It was like he was frozen solid...

'Kiibo...kun...?' she whispered, feeling her heart beat faster. She then began shaking him by the shoulders, progressively more desperately. 'Kiibo-kun!' she cried out. No response.

Was he...dead? No, it couldn't be! He just turned off, like a toy whose batteries died.

'Maybe that was some sort of an emergency button...' she mumbled, panicked. 'Maybe if I push it again, he'll come back...'

She went around his back, pushed the button, and walked back to the front to look closely into his face. He almost immediately booted back up. His eyes were wide with terror.

'Wh- Wha-?! A-Akamatsu-san? Why is your face so close to mine? Weren't you helping me put the scarf on just a moment ago? What's going on?'

'Oh, thank god. You're back to normal.' She sighed with relief. He looked at her, puzzled.

'H-huh? What do you mean, Akamatsu-san?' he asked, utterly confused.

'U-um,' she stuttered, embarrassed. 'I noticed a button on your neck so I pushed it.'

'What!' he took a step back. 'You discovered the button?!'

'S-sorry!' She waved her hands apologetically. 'It was tempting me, I couldn't resist! That's the emergency button, isn't it?'

'Indeed, it is,' he confirmed. 'It was put there in case my AI or essential functions encounter an issue or malfunction.'

'Sorry, I had no idea you had such a function...' she said apologetically.

'You know my secret now...' he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

'What kind of a secret is it, hidden in plain sight? Anyone could have noticed it!' she argued.

Kiibo tilted his head. 'But what good is an emergency button if it cannot be easily found in an emergency?' he argued back.

'I guess that's a fair point, but anybody could push it for fun, like I did, which makes it kiind of dangerous...or they could find an even worse use for it,' she realised, remembering something sinister.

'Hm, that's true too...when we leave, I will make sure to mention that oversight to my creators, assuming I find them! And, thinking about it, you will have contributed to my design, which is kind of amazing! For now, though, I suppose I will resort to covering it up with scarves.'

'Say,' Akamatsu prompted, 'nobody else knows about it? You're sure?'

'Of course! Only you discovered the secret. You won't tell anyone, will you? If you tell my secret I will not hesitate to destroy you!'

'E-eh?' Akamatsu took a step back.

'That was a joke. I do not have a function that would allow me to hurt you. You deserved a scare after messing with my body!' he teased with an innocent smile.

'Oh...ahaha. I didn't know you could tell jokes,' Akamatsu admitted awkwardly. She was reminded of Amami's lecture on the laws of robotics. Of course Kiibo wasn't going to hurt her. That is, as long as his AI is in check... 'So, you're sure nobody else knows? Even Iruma-san?'

Kiibo pondered the question and finally shook his head. 'No, I'm sure she doesn't know about it. She mostly focuses on the parts of my body that she feels need an upgrade.'

Akamatsu nodded. 'I see! Hey, you wanted to talk to me about something, too, right? What was it? Sorry that I caused you so much trouble...'

'I forgive you, do not worry,' he assured. 'As for the thing I wanted to talk about, um...' he suddenly seemed to be flustered. 'It's silly, really. It can wait. On the contrary, was there anything else you wanted to ask me?'

'Hm.' Akamatsu wanted to push Kiibo into explaining, but decided against it. 'I was kind of curious as to who created you, since you're so advanced and all. But you said you don't know if you'd be able to find them, right?'

'Ah, yes. I do not have memories of the creation process. Hopefully once we get to leave the school it will be easier to find everything out.'

'Probably. Let's hope so! Maybe if Iruma-san keeps upgrading you, it will allow us to break out? Like, if she installs some sort of a gun to come out of your arm!' Akamatsu mused excitedly.

'...I'm not sure about guns. But,' he continued with a smile, 'I believe Iruma-san will invent something to help us! I just know it! I stand with you, Akamatsu-san. You can help everyone escape, too! If we all work towards it.'

'Ah, I hope so,' she said humbly. 'Teamwork!'

'Speaking of Iruma-san, though, I should go to her now. She's planning another upgrade.'

'Oooooh,' Akamatsu hummed. 'Well, you'd better go, then. I want to play for a bit.'

'I will see you later, Akamatsu-san! And then...I will tell you what I needed,' he promised, heading out.

'Sure!' she said, waving goodbye.

She then looked at the piano in front of her. Deep breath. Her fingers gently touched the keys. A pleasant chill ran up her spine. She had missed the sensation terribly.

She started playing a simple song. Her eyes closed and in her mind's eye she saw an audience, listening to her performance. The audience was composed off all her classmates, including those who had lost their lives to the killing game. Gonta's mouth was open wide in awe, his eyes sparkled. Amami was looking straight at her with his signature calming smile. Yumeno's face wasn't showing any emotion, but her cheeks were noticeably flushed. Saihara's eyes were focused on tracing the movements of her fingers as he covered his mouth, impressed. Shinguuji's eyes were closed, but he was definitely paying attention to the music, taking it in.

Her eyes shot open. Most of the dead never heard her play before they died. She wondered if they'd enjoy her song, or maybe find it annoying...

She shook her head. There was no time to think about that. All she could do was keep their memory alive in her heart.

She got up from her seat. Yes, she made peace with the piano. The clay sculptures watched her perform, bringing back all sorts of memories from the previous week.

She had lost control of the situation. Now it was time to get it back by all means necessary.

***

Momota Kaito groggily opened his eyes. He had been passing time waiting in the rec room, counting stars in his head. 

Momota liked stars. He missed seeing them dearly. While the claustrophobic atmosphere of the school wasn't good for anyone, it was particularly harsh on him - the luminary of the stars, the man who belonged in space. Not only was he grounded on earth, he couldn't even look up at the sky and see the comforting vastness full of glowing stars, instead forced to stare at ceilings, hoping that maybe the next floor would have mercy on him. 

Momota was starting to feel something akin to withdrawal symptoms. He would do almost anything to be able to look at the sky even once. He'd die happy, if that were the case. As it was, he remained restless and frustrated. 

All he had left in this miserable school was training - for his body and soul both, it turned out. He was realising many things that he had never thought of before, because he never needed to. As it were, he was pretty hopeless when it came to interacting with anyone who wasn't like him. He was willing to learn, although he had his limits. 

He started tossing the ping pong ball up in the air repeatedly. Yes, there were things he refused to entertain even for a second. No matter how much Hoshi or Akamatsu tried to convince him that Ouma was one of them, he had no interest in sympathising with him. If he wasn't the culprit, he sure as hell acted like one, which was arguably even worse. 

Momota squinted at the ceiling. If he turned Ouma in, he might graduate from the school. He would see space again. He wouldn't feel so goddamn suffocated anymore. But…doing that would mean possibly sacrificing everyone else, and that's not something a hero like him would do. Either they all get out of here, or nobody does. Anything else was a selfish act he couldn't condone. 

Momota sighed deeply. Even if he were to be selfish and turn Ouma in, he didn't have any details in mind, only guesses. Was Ouma suicidal enough to tell him how he carried out the murder? No…he would just mislead him for the hell of it. He groaned and grabbed the ball. 

In a way, it seemed like a miracle that Hoshi wanted to play with him in the end. He was grateful, although at first he was convinced that Hoshi should be the one thanking him. It wasn't healthy to mope so much. Some exercise would definitely help him cheer up. After all, what's better than moving your body? It releases endorphins and all that. 

Momota needed his own endorphins now, too. Anything to distract from the feeling of suffocation that was slowly driving him insane. 

'Hey,' Hoshi's voice said from the door. He was nonchalantly sucking on a candy cigarette. 

'Hey, what took you so long?' Momota asked, hiding his irritation. That's when he noticed that Akamatsu had tagged along with Hoshi. 'Hey, Akamatsu, wanna try as well? I'll go eay on you!' 

'No, thanks,' Akamatsu said with an awkward smile. 'I just ran into Hoshi-kun and he invited me to watch if I want. Besides, I'm no ping pong master but…I wouldn't want you to go easy on me. I'd never learn if I'm not challenged!' 

'That's the spirit!' Momota was impressed. 'I don't mind you watching. Maybe it'll inspire you to write a symphony about this match!' 

'I don't really think it's going to be worth a symphony,' Hoshi said dismissively. 'It's just a friendly match.'

'Hey, you gotta give it your all! Even if it's a friendly, you better go all out!' 

'I never agreed to this…' Hoshi muttered under his breath. 'Anyway, sorry that we took so long. Akamatsu and I ended up chatting a bit on the way.'

'No worries! Patience is a virtue, you know?' Momota said cheerfully with a wide grin. He couldn't let it show on his face that he had been fighting boredom and anxiety for the past half hour, waiting for him. 'So, are we doing this already or what!' 

'You won't even let me prepare or breathe, huh?' Hoshi remarked with a defeated smile. Before Momota could tease him back, a new person entered the room. 

'I see another person is dying to watch us play!' Momota said cheerfully to mask his surprise. 

The person who came in was Tenko. She seemed to be short of breath and somewhat flushed in the face. She wiped her sweaty forehead. 

'Tenko happened to see Akamatsu-san and Hoshi-san walking up the stairs! She followed them because she assumed that something was happening, as it is usually the case!'

'Chabashira-san, did you run up the stairs after us? You seem out of breath…' Akamatsu asked, concerned. 'Maybe you should sit down,' she offered.

Tenko paused. 'Yes. Tenko fell behind at one point so she had to sprint up. She has the stamina to pull it off, though! Do not worry about her! She'll be fine in no time. Either way, something seems to be happening, eh? Tenko was right!'

'Yeah, I'm having a friendly match with Momota to shut him up a bit,' Hoshi explained. 'I ended up accepting his challenge...but make no mistake, this is just for fun.'

'Like hell it is!' Momota teased, walking up to him. 'C'mon, take it seriously! I want to see you give it your all, Ryouma!'

'Just because it's a friendly, doesn't mean I'm gonna slack off,' Hoshi protested. 'Don't worry about that.'

'Hey, maybe since we have an audience already, we should ask the others if they wanna watch, too? The more girls there are to cheer me on, the better my performance will be,' Momota suggested.

'None of the girls are going to cheer for you,' Tenko scoffed. 'Tenko is siding firmly with Hoshi-san, since he's the lesser of two evils here!'

'Thanks,' Hoshi said sincerely, holding back a chuckle.

'I don't think this is a bad idea, though,' Akamatsu pointed out. 'Maybe once Chabashira-san rests, we should get Toujou-san and Angie-san, since they should both be on this floor anyway? Toujou-san has been in the laundry room all the time lately, and Angie-san keeps going into a trance in the art room. I saw it happen. It's...chilling.'

'Toujou could keep us hydrated, and Angie could paint something based on the match!' Momota added.

'Keep your own self hydrated, lazy menace,' Tenko scolded, narrowing her eyes. 'The bathroom is right around the corner...just drink from the tap and don't rely on poor Toujou-san.'

'You've really been thinking about the art, eh, Momota?' Hoshi said before Momota could protest. 'I don't think there'd be much to paint here, anyway. Ping pong is usually not very exciting between amateurs.'

'Her paintings are sick, okay?' Momota said defensively. 'I wonder how much she's got done since morning.'

'I have something I need to talk to Angie-san about anyway, so I'll gladly go get her,' Akamatsu said quietly. 'Chabashira-san, are you good?' she asked. Tenko breathed deeply and nodded.

'I'm going too. Might as well,' Hoshi informed. 

'I have to go tooo, then!' Momota insisted. 'Don't you dare have me waiting for you again, you bastard.'

***

As soon as Akamatsu opened the door, she immediately ran into Toujou, making both of them take a step back with a gasp. The maid appeared to have just left the bathroom - she was carrying a container full of water for the iron.

'Toujou-san!'

'Good afternoon, Akamatsu-san. What is the commotion?' the maid asked, eyeing the group.

'The menaces are going to duel!' Tenko informed. 'We wanted to ask if you want to watch.'

Toujou brought a hand up to her mouth with a soft gasp. 'A duel?' she repeated, horrified.

'Not really a duel,' Hoshi informed calmly. 'Momota bugged me into playing table tennis with him.'

'I see. That is a relief,' Toujou said, relaxing her muscles. 'I can come watch if you wish,' she said, and paused, catching Akamatsu's expression. 'That is to say, I would love to watch. However, I need to take care of the ironing board first.'

'No biggie, take your time,' Momota said benevolently. 'We still have to go ask Angie if she wants to watch, anyway. I'm still hoping for an artistic rendition of my victory!'

'You're still on about that, huh...well, let's go get her,' Hoshi said.

'I shall see you shortly,' Toujou said, entering the laundry room.

'Well, I guess we should go, then,' Akamatsu remarked, leading the way.

She had a bad feeling about talking to Angie so soon. The argument was too fresh in her head, and left her with too many questions. She had no doubt that Angie would love to watch the game, that was not an issue at all...the issue was the doubt she had instilled in Akamatsu's soul. Was she wrong after all?

She stopped in front of the art room door. Just like last time, she knocked first, fearing the possibility of disturbing the artist in her trance.

For a full minute, there was no answer. Was she not there? Or did she not hear them?

Akamatsu knocked again. Still, no answer. Akamatsu felt a cold chill running through her body. She intantly opened the door and entered the room.

A deafening scream erupted from the back of her throat.

There was a reason why Angie wasn't answering the door. She physically couldn't have.

She was currently hanging from one of the hooks in the back of the room. It had dug into the back of her head. Another one had pierced her lower back.

The wings she had made out of paper were now attached to her back, a few blood drops having dripped onto them. On her forehead was the flower crown she had used as a reference.

On her face, as usual, was an innocent smile. Even in death, her mask was intact, not letting the world see her frown even once. She almost looked like she had simply fallen into a peaceful slumber.

Akamatsu's eyes filled with tears as she fell onto her knees, her body shaken by sobs. The body discovery announcement rang out above her and the group.

So it was true...she really was dead. Akamatsu was never going to make peace with her, never get answers to so many questions. She felt ashamed of suspecting the dead girl, even for a second, of being the mastermind's puppet. They wouldn't let any allies die, would they? Or maybe they are heeartless enough to let just anyone die.

Toujou walked into the room and gasped. That sound made Akamatsu realise she needs to take action.

'Toujou-san, Chabashira-san, guard the body,' she ordered, getting up from her knees. She wiped the tears off clumsily. 'I'll go downstairs and let the others know before Monokuma comes. Momota-kun, Hoshi-kun, you guard the door here. I'll be back with everyone,' she informed, sprinting off and rushing downstairs.

Her bad feeling wasn't gone. The smell of danger was in the air. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but her best bet was checking on everyone on the first floor.

She had to talk to Ouma and get him released for the investigation. That seemed like the priority.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY-
> 
> Angie was one of the most painful cuts in the outline. Rest in peace, angel.


	30. Chapter 3: Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild emetophobia warning

Akamatsu rushed down the last few stairs and paused to catch her breath. A few moments later, she entered the warehouse. She needed to check something there.

She ran to the back where Ouma was held. He was there, still chained to the floor, as expected. But...

Akamatsu felt colour draining from her face. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. Her chest felt heavy. She shook her head, feeling her legs and hands shaking.

Ouma was lying on the floor in an unnatural position, facefirst with his arms twisted under his torso. He looked liike a crow that had fallen off a tree and twisted its neck. Next to him was a broken teacup, which he must have either dropped or accidentally hit his head or arm on as he fell to the floor. She couldn't tell if he was alive or not, but it didn't seem like a regular pleasant nap...

The button! Where's the button! I ned to call someone over right now! Oh god!

Akamatsu looked around frantically. She found the button taped to the wall behind Ouma. She pushed it with one hand, using the other one to pick up his body.

She checked his pulse. Her eyes widened. It was weak, but definitely there. She noticed that his chest was rising with shallow breaths. He was still alive. She made it in time.

'Ouma-kun,' Akamatsu cried out, shaking him by the shoulders. Suddenly, his eyes opened just a bit as he groaned. Led by instinct, Akamatsu moved to the side, holding his body up by the waist. It was so thin she was convinced the man had been starving himself. 

That proved to be a smart move, as right then, his eyes shot wide open, and a violent shiver went through his scrawny body, causing him to vomit up a light brown liquid, forming a puddle on the floor in front of him. It smelled vaguely of tea and acid.

When his body got rid of everything it apparently needed to,which wasn't that much, it went limp in her arms, but his breathing was now more noticeable and regular than before, almost spasming occasionally. 

Akamatsu looked at the puddle, shocked. It didn't look gross, really. Just a puddle, right in front of them, a puddle of mysterious liquid. Whatever he had since morning, it sure seemed like he skipped breakfast, considering there didn't seem to be anything solid there, which was something she could definitely scold him for later, as soon as she's sure he was going to survive. 

She looked back at him, his pale face covered in sweat, dropping from under his messy bangs. It didn't seem like any of the vomit got onto him, thankfully. His uniform was as white as ever. 

'Ouma-kun,' she said, trying to get him to look at her. She moved over in front of him, careful not to step into the puddle. His eyes were looking at her through half-open eyelids. It was obvious that it was rather difficult for him to keep them focused, and she couldn't blame him for that for once. She bit her lip, filled with determination. 'Ouma-kun, what happened here?' she asked firmly, grabbing him like a kitten - by the armpits, and pulling him up gently. 

Ouma smirked, narrowing his eyes. 'It's a wonder, huh? Maybe the guilt finally caught up to me and I just tried to kill myse-' 

Thwap! Her palm hit his cheek, leaving a reddish mark on his skin. His purple eyes were now looking up at her in shock. That slap sure got him to regain consciousness. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something, but whatever was on his mind had to wait, as Akamatsu grabbed him by the collar and spoke firmly, looking into his eyes. 

'I don't have time for your games, Ouma-kun!' she growled. 'Either tell me what you know, or nothing at all. We're in the middle of an investigation here!' 

He tilted his head. Tears were running down the cheek she had slapped, burning his skin a bit. He clearly wasn't awake enough yet to talk back. 

'Angie-san is dead,' Akamatsu informed.

'Angie-chan, dead?' Ouma's eyes widened so much Akamatsu could have sworn that they were about to pop out of his head. For just a split second, genuine concern and shock showed on his face, but were soon replaced by a soft smile that was Ouma's equivalent of a poker face. 'That's an interesting development, isn't it?' he muttered. 

'What the fuck happened here?!' Iruma's voice screeched from a few meters away, interrupting their exchange. Both of them turned their heads towards her, startled. She was standing on the other side of the puddle, grabbing her hair. 'I know I took my sweet time, but did you really have to piss yourself?!' she whined. Kiibo was behind her, looking at the puddle with fascination. 

'Iruma-san!' Akamatsu yelled immediately. 'Get over here and free him!' she demanded, tapping her foot. 

'Eek!' Iruma flinched. 'C-coming! Maybe I should crawl through the puddle b-because it's my fault he made it!' she stuttered out, shaking. 

'Stop messing around, come around it!' Akamatsu ordered impatiently. Soon Iruma and Kiibo were next to them, Iruma's shaking hands struggling to insert the key into the right hole in the handcuffs. Soon enough, he was free - but not really. Akamatsu wrapped her arm around his waist and wasn't letting go. She couldn't be sure that he was able to stand on his own. 

'Iruma-san, he didn't pee himself, for the record,' she clarified. 'He threw up. I don't know why, but I will find out. He's not the one who pressed the button, it was me, by the way. What took you so long?' she asked suspiciously. 

'A-ah, u-um…' Iruma started to play with her hair nervously. 'I'm a busy woman, you know? I don't need to explain myself…'

'You kind of do,' Akamatsu protested. 'There was a murder and I want to know where everyone was.'

'M-murder?!' Iruma shivered. 'Oh, right, I thought I heard the announcement, but I had other things to worry about at that time, plus I just assumed somebody had offed this little shit over here,' she explained more calmly, nodding her chin at Ouma. 

'You weren't sure if you heard the announcement? What happened? And why did you think Ouma-kun would be killed?' Akamatsu asked, watching her carefully. 

Before Iruma could answer, Kiibo, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, interrupted. 

'Akamatsu-san. I can explain everything later, as can Iruma-san, but we don't even know who died yet, and we should be there when Monokuma arrives, if possible. We should hurry.'

'That's a good point,' Akamatsu admitted. 'The victim is Angie-san, in the art room.'

'Whaaaa, she bit the dust?' Iruma's eyes widened. 'To be fair, I'm kinda surprised she lasted this long!' 

'Let's go now, I will ask you two questions later… And you,' she added, looking down at Ouma, 'are going with me. No ifs or buts. I have some questions for you as well.'

'Of course, Akamatsu-chan,' Ouma agreed sheepishly. 'You can take me wherever you want, my saviour!' he giggled into his hand. 

Akamatsu groaned and let the group out of the warehouse. She wrapped her arm tightly around Ouma's waist and placed his hand on her shoulder to make sure he could cling onto her. That's about as much as she was willing to accommodate him - she wasn't going to slow herself down at all. 

She could only hope that Harukawa and Shirogane had found the body while she was busy keeping Ouma alive. Iruma and Kiibo were walking right behind her, trying to keep up with her pace. 

***

The group finally made it upstairs. Momota and Hoshi were standing beside the door. The latter seemed concerned upon noticing Ouma's state - he was completely out of breath and still incredibly pale. 

'Hoshi-kun, Momota-kun, did Harukawa-san and Shirogane-san make it here?' Akamatsu asked immediately. 

'Yeah. They're inside,' Hoshi answered. 'What happened to…?' he couldn't finish the sentence and just nodded at Ouma. 

'Too long to explain now. Could you bring me a glass of water for him?' she requested, wrapping her arm tighter around Ouma for support. 'He's pretty sick.'

'Sure. I'll be right back,' Hoshi promised, and headed downstairs. 

The group entered the art room. Akamatsu helped Ouma sit down on the floor where he started wheezing, holding his stomach. 

Toujou and Tenko, guarding the body, gasped upon seeing him. Harukawa watched him curiously and Shirogane shrieked. 

'Ouma-kun…?' Toujou whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and blinking in shock. 

'What happened to the horrible menace?' Tenko asked, looking at his miserable form. 

'A-another murder?' Shirogane stuttered, shaking. 

'He's not dying! He just got sick,' Akamatsu clarified. 'I don't think it's anything serious, but I decided to keep an eye on him.'

'Perhaps we should try to find some medicine for him?' Toujou suggested, concerned. 

'Maybe after we get the Monokuma File, we should find something. Fornow, he just needs to stay hydrated.'

Hoshi came back with an entire bottle of water. Did he run all the way back to the vending machine...? That worked as well, Akamatsu supposed, as long as Ouma stated hydrated. 

Momota entered the room as well. Now that all of them were inside, there was no need to guard the room. 

'Welp, let's get this investigation started, you bastards!' Monokuma’s voice announced, appearing in the middle of the room. It almost seemed like he had dropped from the ceiling. 

'Monokuma…' Akamatsu muttered. 

'You manipulated another person into committing murder, huh? Get that shit-eating grin off your face!' Momota growled, stomping his foot angrily. 

'Manipulated?' Monokuma seemed confused. 'I didn't manipulate anyone, you bastards do this to yourselves. You wanna get out of here so badly that you decide to kill another poor sap who happens to be in your way! I have nothing to do with that. I just allow you to punish those responsible.'

'What would happen if we refused to participate in the trial? Say, if the culprit admitted their guilt without a trial?' Harukawa asked, in her usual detached tone. 

'Harukawa-san what are you thinking?' Tenko asked. 

'Nothing. I just think in that case a trial would be a waste of time.'

'Let's do an experiment for you, Harukawa-san,' Monokuma said cheerfully. 'Anybody want to admit to being the killer? We know it's someone in this room, so you would save the others some time if you came forward!' 

Silence befell the room. Akamatsu looked around. She noticed that Ouma was sitting with his back against the wall and his eyes closed. Did he fall back asleep…? 

Tenko and Shirogane were sniffling. Iruma's eyes shifted from face to face, careful not to miss any important hint. Toujou took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

'There we go. Your question answered. Nobody's just going to admit it. Now, a gift from me to you!' Monokuma exclaimed cheerfully. 

Everyone's IDs beeped. The Monokuma File had arrived. The investigation was about to start for real. 

'That's all from me!' Monokuma said. 'Good luck, bastards, see you in two hours! I'm actually going to miss Angie-san, you know? She was the only one of you bastards who actually appreciated all the effort I put into giving you shelter. Oh well!' 

And, just like that, the bear disappeared. A chill ran up Akamatsu' s spine. Was Monokuma genuine, or was it something he said to call her out for the argument she had with Angie before her death? It was wiser to forget it, nothing good could ever come out of listening to the bear. 

Now, she had to focus on… 

***INVESTIGATION: START***

She sat down beside Ouma and took out her ID. She needed to check the Monokuma File above all else. 

The victim is Yonaga Angie.  
The cause of death is a stab wound on her head. It appears that she had gotten a concussion before death. There is also a wound on her lower back.  
There are no signs of struggle. 

Akamatsu closed the file. No time of death again. Experience told her that seemed like the key to solving the mystery. She was equipped with the knowledge that Angie must have died sometime after their argument, which, as she remembered, happened right before noon. According to the clock, it wasn't 5pm yet. 

She looked over at Ouma. His eyes were now open again, and he was drinking the water Hoshi had brought him. 

'Alright, everyone, I have an idea,' Akamatsu said, getting up. 'While we're all here, there's something I want to do before we all go investigate elsewhere.'

'What is it?' Harukawa asked, folding her arms over her chest. 

'Empty your pockets,' Akamatsu demanded. 'I'll do it too,' she added, putting her hand in her pocket. She took out her ID and a few tissues. 

'What's the point of this exercise?' Harukawa asked.

'I don't want the key situation to happen again,' Akamatsu said firmly, glancing at Ouma. 'Even if it turns out we don't find anything, it's better to check.'

'That's a fair enough idea,' Hoshi said, emptying his pockets. 

'I see you're learning, Akamatsu,' Harukawa said mockingly. 

'Y-you don't want to see what's in my pockets!' Iruma protested, hugging herself. 

'Just get it over with, we know you probably have condoms or something in there!' Momota rolled his eyes. 

Everyone emptied their pockets. Most of them only had their IDs and things like used tissues. Hoshi had a pack of candy cigarettes Akamatsu had given him. Iruma had the vibrator that was connected to Ouma's button, but she refused to explain what it was. Some people had medicine on them, but all of it could be explained away. Kiibo didn't have anything except his ID and his scarf. 

It appeared that they didn't find anything. Akamatsu sighed with relief. 

Multiple people left the room to investigate elsewhere. Ouma remained seated, constantly on the verge of passing out. Akamatsu knelt next to him. 

'Ouma-kun,' she said firmly. 

'Akamatsu-chan, are you planningto torture me some more?' he asked weakly, wiping his forehead. Despite his exhaustion, he was still grinning at her. 

Akamatsu leaned towards him, grabbing him by the wrist. She began whispering right into his ear. 

'Ouma-kun. I know you weren't trying to kill yourself down there. But I'm pretty sure that soneone was trying to poison you. If we're not careful, they will try again. They probably weren't happy to see you alive and well. You're being really annoying right now, but I refuse to let you die. So you will investigate with me whether you like it or not,' she said matter-of-factly, quietly enough that only he could hear her. 'I'm going to accommodate you, I'll go slow if you need. But you're going with me. Now, tell me, did you have breakfast today? Don't lie.'

'Akamatsu-chan, you're so forceful. Can't say I don't like that, though! I'm not sure why you'd protect me, though, since you know I'm a murderer.'

'You didn't kill Angie-san. I know that much. That's what matters right now. I also think you didn't kill Saihara-kun, but you know or suspect who did. Now, answer my question.'

Ouma eyed her curiously. He seemed to be debating if it's worth trying to deceive her.' Akamatsu-chan, you know the answer to that question. I didn't eat anything.'

'You will. You need to eat or you will pass out on me. That's an order,' she whispered, getting up from her knees. 'Hoshi-kun?' she called out. 

Hoshi was still in the room, but didn't seem to be investigating. He was just standing around idly, playing with a candy cigarette. Now he perked up, having heard his name. He went over to where Akamatsu was standing and looked down at Ouma, who was dozing off again. 

'Can you tell me what's going on with him now? It's okay if not, but…' Hoshi said softly. 

Akamatsu sighed. She leaned towards Hoshi slightly. 'I don't even know what happened myself. All I know is that he got sick earlier and had nothing to eat today. I'm afraid that he's going to die if he doesn't eat before the trial. I don't have anything to give him now though…'

Without a word, Hoshi took the pack of candy cigarettes out of his pocket and set it down in Ouma's lap. He then smiled up at Akamatsu. 

' It's not much, but he'll survive until someone can make him something better. I can go down to the vending machine or the cafeteria again soon, though.'

'Thanks,' Akamatsu said sincerely. 'I think he's going to be an important witness during the trial. We have to keep him alive and well.'

Hoshi looked down at the semi-conscious man. 'That's not the only reason why, but yeah. While we're here, I guess we better cover the details of what happened before we met up. Just to get our alibis straight.'

'I was with Kiibo-kun for a while. Then I stayed in the music room and practiced. That was right before I ran into you, and I'm sure we were together until we found the body.'

'Sounds about right. Before I ran into you, I was in my room. Taking a nap, preparing for the ping pong match…nothing significant. I went to the cafeteria for a moment and I saw Shirogane there, though. That was about ten minutes before we met up, so it might be helpful. That's all I've got.'

'It might be important later, we'll see!' Akamatsu said, trying to stay positive. 'Well, I'm gonna look at the body now. I'll see you later.'

Hoshi looked down at Ouma again. He was absentmindedly sucking on a candy cigarette. 'See you, Akamatsu. Let's do our best. And,' he glanced up at her with a smirk, 'I see you've been keeping your eye on him. I think that's a good call in any case.'

Before she could answer, he left the room. 

Now the investigation was truly starting. Akamatsu took a deep breath. 

First, before she went to look at the body, she focused on the room. Everything could be a clue, so she couldn't afford to miss anything. 

First, she looked at the paintings. Angie had definitely progressed on them since Akamatsu last saw them. The Amami painting was just about done, looking at her with the same calming expression she remembered, but now framed by a colourful flower crown. The Saihara painting seemed nearly finished as well, missing just a few flowers and some details of his clothes. There was also a Gonta painting, but it was far from finished in comparison. 

Akamatsu tried to calculate how much time it would take to progress that much. She didn't know the first thing about art, but she had seen Angie at work. That could help. 

The Yumeno painting was done overnight, but there was no way to tell how much of the time between the evening Akamatsu saw her and the morning when Tenko received the picture was spent in the trance of creation. Meanwhile the Amami and Saihara paintings had been started by the time Akamatsu paid the art room a visit. It was probably a safe bet that they would take multiple hours to finish. Possibly two or three, she assumed. 

That would mean Angie died, at the earliest, around 3pm or so, accounting for the finished paintings and the one she barely started. 

That was an encouraging discovery. 

She looked back at Ouma. He seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness, but kept eating the candy. She wondered how good it would be for his stomach. 

She went towards the body, looking up at it with a mixture of guilt and shock. It wasn't like she was responsible for Angie's death, and yet, in a way, she felt like she was. After all, she did say some pretty accusatory things…was any of it justified in the end? 

She shook her head. There was no time to dwell on that. 

'Did you discover anything, Harukawa-san?' she asked. Harukawa had been examining the body for the past ten minutes or so. She narrowed her eyes at Akamatsu. 

'Nothing you can't notice. See for yourself,' she said, but there was no hostility in her voice this time. She moved aside towards Tenko, who had been quietly guarding the body. 

Akamatsu stepped towards the body. She gulped. 

The wound in the back of Angie's head, the cause of death according to the file, looked terrifying. The big hook-like piece of metal had dug deep into her flesh and crushed through the skull. There was blood dripping from the wound and onto the wings. 

As she noticed, they were tucked under her bra and held in place by her jacket, pressed against the wall. 

Below the wings was the other wound, another hook digging into her flesh, just above the tailbone. It, too, was bleeding, the blood dripping down her legs and onto the floor, forming a puddle. It was rather small, which, Akamatsu assumed, meant that the body hadn't been hanging up like that for long. 

She stepped away and looked at the body as a whole. The sight was striking. It was definitely reminiscent of the Yumeno painting, as well as the others. It seemed significant, but she couldn't tell how. Was the culprit inspired by the first painting? If so, they must have seen it somewhere. Not everyone was at breakfast, which would give some people alibis. However, similar paintings were in the art room, as well. The culprit might have gotten the idea afterwards. 

Another question on her mind was whether the culprit was aware of the significance of the flowers and feathers. As far as she knew, Angie had only told her, but it wasn't necessarily a fact…she had to ask around about it carefully. 

'Hey, Harukawa-san? Can I ask you something?' 

Harukawa sighed. 'If it's about my alibi, here goes. I was in the cafeteria for a while. Shirogane was there as well, so I can vouch for her. I learned that it's convenient to memorize timestamps for everything I do, so I can tell you that I entered the cafeteria at quarter to four and only left when I heard the body discovery announcement, which was about half past four. Shirogane and I didn't say a single word to each other, but we were aware of each other's presence. That's all from me,' she said. 

'Wow, you really remember everything, huh?' Akamatsu was impressed. 

'I learned that I have to. Is that all you wanted?' Harukawa eyed her curiously. 

'I've just been thinking about the body,' she admitted. 'Chabashira-san, don't you think it resembles the painting you received?' 

Tenko's eyes widened and filled with tears. 'It's true! Akamatsu-san, do you think that someone…?' 

'It's possible that someone was trying to recreate it,' Akamatsu said, nodding. 'Which is why I need to know if you showed it to anyone after breakfast.'

Tenko shook her head. 'No, Tenko didn't show anyone. She's been keeping it in her room.'

'I see. That might be important. Before she died, Angie-san told me the significance of the flowers and feathers in the painting, which might be important too.'

'What is it?' Tenko asked, biting her bottom lip. 

'It's a tradition for her people to give corpses flower crowns as an offering for God so they can get into the paradise, and the feathers symbolise freedom from the earthly form. Something like that. It's really pretty, I think.'

'Oh, it truly is!' tears streamed down Tenko's face. 

'You do realise what you just said is pretty incriminating, right?' Harukawa said suddenly, watching Akamatsu carefully. 

'Huh?' 

'You just admitted that you were here earlier today. You knew about the things that would make sense for the culprit to know, that I'm only hearing of now. The painting, the traditional meaning. You might be the last person who saw her alive. Do you see now?'

'Why would I tell you about it if I were the culprit?' Akamatsu asked defensively, taking a step back. 'Okay, you know what? Full transparency! When I came here Angie-san and I had a disagreement! But I didn't kill her! I just left!' 

'Disagreement about what?' Harukawa asked immediately. 

'Well…about whether we should try to stay here or try to leave. We ended up accusing each other of sounding like the mastermind. And now…now I can't even make peace with her…' Akamatsu sniffled, her eyes welling up with tears. 

'That sounds like you,' Harukawa admitted. 'You really are too stubborn to realise that we're better off forgetting about leaving. For now, you're the most suspicious person in my book, but I'm not going to say anything for sure yet.'

'Thanks,' Akamatsu said, rolling her eyes. 'While we're at it, Chabashira-san, what were you doing before you saw myself and Hoshi-kun? I never found out where you even saw us, thinking about it.'

'Oh, um,' Tenko stuttered, startled. 'Tenko was at the gym, and then she went to the bathroom. She was planning to spend some time by the tree, but then she noticed you and Hoshi-san and decided to see if anything exciting was happening!' 

'I see, makes sense,' Akamatsu said, tapping her chin. 'Did you notice anything suspicious on the way? I was too preoccupied with the conversation to pay attention to my surroundings, I feel kind of useless.'

'Tenko didn't notice anything either.' She shook her head. 'Akamatsu-san, since you were here before Angie-san died, do you see anything else that could help?' 

'Yeah. The paintings. When I was here last time, none of them were finished. I've been trying to figure out how much time it would take for Angie-san to progress so much. My guess is about two or three hours.' 

'That's just a guess, but it might be useful. Assuming you're telling the truth,' Harukawa said, walking towards the door. 'I'm going to investigate elsewhere. Better find a good alibi, Akamatsu.'

Tenko sighed, looking up at Angie's corpse. 'Tenko's going to stay here. Somebody needs to guard the body. That's the least Tenko can do for Angie-san after she was so kind.'

'Stay safe, Chabashira-san,' Akamatsu said softly. 'I'm going to investigate elsewhere now. Ouma-kun!' She turned around and nudged him. He looked up at her with a smirk. 

'I wanna naaaap,' he whined, but didn't protest when she helped him up. 

'You will rest after the trial. For now, hang in there,' she insisted, grabbing his hand. He seemed to be able to stand up straight by himself, so she didn't need to prop him up anymore. 

'Aww, Akamatsu-chan, if you wanted to hold hands you should have said so!' he teased, biting a candy cigarette. 

'We're implementing a buddy system,' she said, ignoring his remark. 'Now let's get a move on before the time is up!' 

***

Before she could leave the art room altogether with clear conscience, Akamatsu decided to check out the dark room, armed with the light from her student ID. 

'Akamatsu-chan, I can't help but feel like you've been dragging me along just to kill me here andlet my body rot without being found by anyone.' Ouma sniffled loudly. 'Youremean like that. It would be so mean!' 

'Do you really think I would let everyone see we're together only to come out of this room without you? I don't think I could get away with that.'

'Nope, I didn't think you would for a second! But it seems pretty pointless to come here.

'It'd be so easy to hide things in this room. The killer could even hide here before or after committing the murder…'

Ouma looked up at her, amused. 'Akamatsu-chan, if anyone hid here after the murder they'd risk running into someone who has found the body. This would be a good hiding spot if there was another way out of here,' he added, looking at the floor. It didn't seem like there was a secret passage there. 

'So we can definitively say that the culprit had no reason to come here at all?' she asked, disappointed. She couldn't see anything suspicious in the dark room. It didn't seem like anybody was here since the day it got unlocked. 

'Probably. You know where they would be better off hiding?' he prompted with a wide grin. 

***

Their next stop was the classroom opposite of the art room. Akamatsu didn't expect to find anything significant here, but Ouma seemed alert. 

It seemed like an entirely ordinary classroom. The thing that seemed to have caught Ouma's attention was the trash can. He looked inside with determination. 

'What are you hoping to find here?' she asked, resting her hands on her hips. The endeavour seemed pointless. 

'If I don't find anything, that will leave one more option! But, lookit!' he showed her the inside of the trash can. It was empty. She wasn't sure how that was significant. 

'Ouma-kun, I'm confused. Is that a good thing?' she asked, tapping her foot. 

'We'll see about that!' he said vaguely, grabbing her hand. 

'I feel like you're just messing with me. Are you trying to waste my time?' she complained, following him hesitantly. 

Ouma looked at her with a serious expression that made her flinch. He then led her out of the room without a word. 

***

They entered the laundry room. Toujou was there, taking care of the next batch of clothes. Her hands were visibly shaking. 

'Toujou-san, can I ask a few questions?' Akamatsu asked, as Ouma started walking around the room. 

'Of course. I'll do everything I can to help during this investigation. I had hoped to find some clues on this floor, but nothing seems connected to the murder. How can I help you?' Toujou offered, bowing her head. 

'Can you tell me what you've done since this morning?' 

'Certainly. Firstly, I woke up and prepared breakfast for everyone, including Ouma-kun. I delivered it to him after everyone in the cafeteria was done. He rejected food but accepted the tea. Afterwards, I met up with Kiibo-kun in here. Since then, I've been ironing. I left twice to refill the iron with water. That, I believe, is all.'

'I see, so you've just been working,' Akamatsu said with a nod. 'You like the washing machines, don't you?' she asked gently.

'Indeed. It is quite relaxing here.'

'So, you haven't noticed anything suspicious?' Ouma asked, walking back towards them. 'By the by, Akamatsu-chan is mad that I didn't eat breakfast. I got sooo sick. But now I got candy from Hoshi-chan!' he exclaimed cheerfully, showing her the box. A coughing fit rendered him speechless for a few seconds, causing Akamatsu to pat his back. 

'Sick? It might be because you haven't been eating well. I should have taken better care of you. I apologise,' Toujou said, watching him with concern. 'Should I prepare something now? It would be unfortunate if you got sick again.'

'I'm good,' he said flatly.

'As for your question…no, I have not seen anything noteworthy. I can't imagine who of us would want to murder Angie-san.' She clenched her fists. 

Akamatsu couldn't imagine either. More and more, she realised that she was the person with the clearest motive. She also knew, however, that she is not the murderer. Her only guess was that whoever was Saihara's murderer picked assumed that Angie was onto them. There were too many vague points in that theory, though. 

She looked around the laundry room. Perhaps there was something here? 

The clothes hung out to dry seemed perfectly normal. She looked into the washing machines and didn't find anything unnatural either. The basket on the floor was filled with clothes that had been ironed. 

She had no choice but to admit there was nothing of note there. 

***

Akamatsu and Ouma entered the rec room. Inside, they found Momota and Shirogane. 

'Akamatsu-san…? Is there a reason why you're holding hands with Ouma-kun?' Shirogane asked, covering her mouth. Her eyes sparkled. 

'We've implemented a buddy system,' Akamatsu explained. 'Ouma-kun isn't feeling well so I'm making sure he won't pass out, haha.'

'Oh.' Shirogane deflated. 'Maybe he should lay down, then, no? It'd be bad if he passed out during the t-trial…'

'I'm fiiiiine,' Ouma insisted, closing his eyes. He still seemed exhausted, but the investigation was making him more alert. 

'He might be pretending for all we know,' Momota said, rolling his eyes. 'At least I'm pretty sure he didn't murder Angie…which is frustrating. I don't see who else would.'

'Why would I kill Angie-chan?' Ouma sounded offended. 'She's the only one of you who was always nice to me. Tch.'

'Anyway, Momota-kun, Shirogane-san, did you notice anything that might be important? Also, what were you doing before the body discovery announcement?' 

'I was in the cafeteria for along time. I got an idea for a new cosplay while I had my afternoon coffee! Harukawa-san was also there for a bit. And before her, Hoshi-kun came and made coffee too. I stayed there until the announcement brought me back to reality…it interrupted such a nice fantasy,' she added, grimacing. 

'I was here the entire time before you and Hoshi came. After breakfast I worked out in the gym for a bit, but then I came here and waited,' Momota said with a shrug. 

'Ooooh, so you were alone up here,' Ouma pointed out, tapping his chin. 'Interesting, nishishi!' 

'What the fuck are you trying to imply?!' Momota growled, narrowing his eyes at Ouma. 'Just because you were locked up you think you get to start shit with me?' 

'Ah, but…it is a good point…' Shirogane muttered. 'You don't really have an alibi…'

'Say,Akamatsu, what's your alibi? Is it better than mine?' he asked defensively. 

'Huh, me?' Akamatsu realised she was being suspected again. 'I hung out with Kiibo-kun in the music room, played piano a bit and then ran into Hoshi-kun.'

'So you also have a period when you were by yourself,' Momota pointed out. 

'I don't think there's a point in throwing accusations around right now…we're still not done with the investigation,' Akamatsu remarked, biting her bottom lip. 

'That's a good point,' Momota admitted,scratching the back of his head. 'Man, I almost wish I could predict the murders. Maybe I'd be able to stop them.'

'Ah, wouldn't it be convenient if we had a clairvoyant here?' Shirogane said, cupping her cheek. 'We could stop the murders before they happen. But, ah, wouldn't it mess up the timeline? Because then the prediction would be wrong? Maybe that's not such a good idea after all…'

'Shirogane, for the love of god…' Momota sighed deeply. 'That's messing with my head. There are no clairvoyants here, okay? We have to solve this on our own. I just hope there won't be any more murders after this.'

'Yeah. I won't let any more people die,' Akamatsu declared, pumping her fist. 

'Akamatsu-chan, not to interrupt, but I have to go potty,' Ouma informed loudly, shaking her hand. 

'Potty? What are you, a kid?' Momota asked. 

'I thought it'd be appropriate!' Ouma said with a shrug. 'I'm probably older than you, Momota-chan! And I sure have more brains! Let's gooo.'

***

Ouma dragged Akamatsu out of the rec room and towards the bathroom. 

'Do you need to go to the bathroom too, Akamatsu-chan?' he asked, entering the boys room. 'If you do, tell me if you find anything~' 

He then disappeared. Akamatsu realised he was asking her to look for proof in the girls room. What could they possibly find there? 

She went inside. There were no bloodstains she could see. A strange smell, but nothing weird for a bathroom. She entered the stalls. There didn't seem to be anything there. Did that mean the culprit was a man? 

She left the bathroom, where Ouma was already waiting with a wide grin. 

'Ouma-kun, this is hopeless. I can't find anything anywhere!' she whined. 

Ouma grabbed her hand and squeezed it. 'Akamatsu-chan, that's exactly what I thought! Trust me, that's good for us. It tells us a lot about the murderer, doesn't it?' he pointed out, tilting his head. 

'Huh?'

'Our culprit,' Ouma explained, 'seems to be good at getting rid of evidence, if there's any. That by itself can be a clue. It's okay if you don't understand, I'm the smart one here, nishishi!' 

'Hey now!' she protested, pouting. 'I think I get what you mean. We have to try something else than looking for clues like this.'

He nodded. 'Uh-huh. I pick where we go now! Standing around makes me dizzy!' 

***

The two had returned to the warehouse. There, they found Kiibo and Iruma, who had been cleaning up the mess left after Ouma's incident. 

'Oh, thank goodness that you cleaned up the puddle, Kiibo-kun,' Akamatsu said, relieved. 'It would be awful if anyone stepped into it.'

'Indeed! Everything has been taken care of. Iruma-san decided to dismantle the device, as well.'

'It was a pain in the ass to have to drop everything whenever the twinky shithead wanted something from me, and someone got axed anyway. I don't give a shit what Momota thinks, I'm not doing this anymore,' Iruma ranted, standing around with the handcuffs.

'I'm sure Momota-kun will be fine,' Akamatsu said with an awkward smile. 'Can you tell me what you were doing now? I won't tell anyone. I just need to know.'

Iruma flinched. Her face flushed and she stated to salivate. 'Hng…fine,' she mumbled finally. 'The golden girl genius had an emergency. The emergency was shit!' 

'Huh?' Akamatsu wasn't sure if she understood correctly. 

'Iruma-san had to go to the bathroom,' Kiibo clarified. 

'Haha, gross! Iruma-chan had abad case of diarrhea!' Ouma cackled, holding his stomach. Another coughing fit bent him in half. Akamatsu gently hit his back. 

'Sh-shut the fuck up!' Iruma hissed. 'You wish you were worth as much as Iruma Miu's turds!'

'A-anyway…' Akamatsu interjected. 'What were you doing before then?' 

'We were trying to design some updates for Kiibs,' Iruma explained. 'In my room. We were together the entire time. The vibrator going off helped me finish!' she added. 

'U-um.' Akamatsu wasn't sure how to feel about that. 'Then, I guess that matches up what Kiibo-kun told me. He said he was going to see you. Now, I have a question about Ouma-kun. There's no way he'd be able to break out of the cuffs, right?' 

'Yeah, as I fuckin' said before. There's no way he broke out. If you were wondering about his alibi, sadly I can vouch for him. Iruma Miu's inventions are foolproof!'

'I see,' Akamatsu said, deep in thought. 

'Anyway, this genius needs to piss. I'll see you losers at the trial!' she said, leaving the warehouse. 

'Kiibo-kun, did you pick up the teacup that was on the floor before?' Akamatsu asked quickly. 

'Hm, yes. It's right here,' he said, nodding. The teacup was resting on one of the boxes. 

'Ouma-kun,' Akamatsu whispered, squeezing his hand. All she had left to do now was asking him questions. 

'Mm-hmm?' he hummed. 

'Is it true that Toujou-san brought you breakfast and you didn't accept it?' 

'Uh-huh. I wasn't hungry.'

'Is that really it? You weren't suspicious of it or anything?' 

'Why would I be? Suspicious that someone might be trying to poison me, Saihara-chan’s murderer and a known villain? Totally not!' 

Akamatsu smirked. Someone definitely did try to poison him. Anybody could have done that, since the tray wasn't brought over to him until after breakfast. 

'ATTENTION! The investigation is over! Gather in front of the elevator right now! See you at the trial, upupu!' 

***

Akamatsu, Kiibo and Ouma left the warehouse. There, they ran into Hoshi. The instant he saw Ouma, he handed him a sweet bun. 

'Eat up. Who knows how long the trial is going to be,' he muttered. A sigh escaped his lips. 'I feel like I'm completely in the dark. I have no idea who could have done it. Poor Yonaga.'

'We'll find out,' Akamatsu assured. 'We've done it before, we can do it again. Let's just hope it's the last time. That's what Angie-san would have wanted.'

She closed her eyes and waited for the elevator to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof boy this is a long one! Everything seems so vague, eh?
> 
> I feel like it took me ages to finish this. Rest in peace, Angie.


	31. Chapter 3: Trial 1

The rest of the group gathered in front of the elevator, and soon the door opened to let them inside.

They entered the elevator one by one and stood in their usual spots. Akamatsu squeezed Ouma's hand one last time and let it go. She hoped that that gesture would convey that she has a plan – and so she did. It was risky, but she could only hope that it would deceive the culprit.

As the elevator started moving, excruciatingly slow, Akamatsu's brain tried to run through the clues she had found once again. A vague idea was starting to form in her head, but she wasn't sure if she was just falling for the trap set up by the culprit. Whoever they were, their plan was rather impressive.

The questions she wanted to answer, on top of solving the murder, were rather simple:

Was the person who poisoned Ouma also responsible for Angie's death? If not, who was?

Was the person responsible for Angie's death involved in Saihara's murder? If so, what did Angie do to become their target?

Akamatsu remembered the scene with Ouma's key again. It seemed crucial to solving those mysteries. Angie defended Ouma back then, didn't she? Did that mean they both knew something? Oh, how she wished to have Angie here right now, to ask her all those important questions, instead of...

Akamatsu put her hand up to her chest. Tears filled her eyes as she sobbed softly, hoping nobody would notice.

Angie...

The sight of her corpse, hanging from the wall of the art room with bloody angel wings and the colourful flower crown, was going to haunt Akamatsu forever. Could she have prevented this death? She couldn't help feeling like maybe, if she reached out to Angie without seeing her as the 'other', she would still be alive.

Did...did she end up falling into the mastermind's trap? Perhaps what the mastermind wanted was not for them to be desperate to leave or willing to be passive and stay. Maybe, the true intention was to divide them. To make them see each other as the enemy. That's what killed Angie and, she was sure, almost killed Ouma.

She was sure that she was immune to dividing the group like that. After all, didn't she want them all to work together? And yet...she too started to suspect Angie just because her sense of self-preservation and her beliefs made her accept their fate and try to make home in the school.

Perhaps, Angie wanted to leave just as much as she did. She didn't even get to see much of Japan outside of the school, did she? Her attachment to the tree on the second floor was also telling, wasn't it? The more Akamatsu thought about it, the more she realised how painful it must have been for her, so used to living close to nature, to be locked in here. And yet, she encouraged everyone to stay positive and make the best of the situation, with her eternal innocent smile and her incredible empathy. She tried her best, didn't she?

_Angie, I'm sorry._

The elevator door opened after what felt like an eternity. Akamatsu wiped her tears and stepped out of it, followed by the others.

The courtroom had changed again. It was now...decorated with flowers. There were flowers on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Unlike the paper ones Angie had made for the flower crown, they seemed to be sewn from fabric – they were, at the very least, not real, since otherwise the smell would be overwhelming. The walls had been painted over into bright colours.

Well, it sure seemed like the mastermind themed it after Angie.

Akamatsu gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. The pretty scenery was not going to distract her from the matter at hand. The heartbreaking, devastating matter.

'How're ya doing, you bastards?' Monokuma asked, popping up in front of them. 'Ready for another trial? That was quick! We didn't even get to the deadline for your opportunity to punish Saihara-kun's killer. I wonder who was in such a rush, upupu!'

'Did anybody actually come to you with a theory?' Harukawa asked, crossing her arms.

'Nope! All of you ignored the offer. I guess it was too hard after all...' Monokuma said, shaking his head.

'I was close, but then I realised I'd possibly be fucking all of you over if Monokuma let me graduate for it,' Momota admitted, scratching the back of his head. 'Turns out somebody else was more than willing to fuck us over in a much worse way. I still hope we'll find out who axed Saihara, but we have to focus,' he added, putting on a brave face.

'That sure is a change in attitude,' Harukawa remarked, rolling her eyes. 'So the entire exercise was pointless. Maybe at least you will contribute something to the trial for once, oh luminary.'

'Why the fuck are you always like this?' Momota whined, pouting.

'Harukawa-san is correct! You never contribute anything to the trials, except unfair accusations and loud noises!' Tenko added, leaning towards him.

'Guys, don't fight! We'll figure everything out,' Akamatsu interjected, clenching her fists. 'I know it.'

'Wow, Akamatsu-san! Such confidence from you!' Monokuma giggled. 'Well, I can't wait to listen to your breakdown of the case. They're always so exciting! Anyway, everyone, take your seats! We'd better get the show on the road!'

Akamatsu took a deep breath and found her seat. She looked around the room. Six people missing already, and a seventh was going to join them... Why? Why did it keep happening? Why couldn't the killing game end? Angie wanted to stop it, Akamatsu had to acknowledge that, despite not agreeing with her methods. And now, she was dead.

Her death portrait was standing where her seat was. There were wings drawn above her shoulders in red paint. Shinguuji's portrait was up as well, the X over his mouth stylised to look like it was made out of rope. 

Akamatsu's eyes wandered from face to face of those who were still alive. Harukawa glared at her when their eyes met. The trial was going to be tough. Akamatsu knew that she was going to have to prove her innocence and find the true killer.

She was going to unveil the mystery behind Yonaga Angie's death.

TRUTH BULLETS:

>Monokuma File #3  
The victim is Yonaga Angie.   
The cause of death is a stab wound on her head. It appears that she had gotten a concussion before death. There is also a wound on her lower back.   
There are no signs of struggle. 

>The broken teacup  
A teacup found on the floor of the warehouse. It appears that it was empty before it fell. Presumably, it contained Ouma Kokichi's morning tea. It might be connected to his sickness later in the day.

>Ouma's imprisonment  
Ouma had been chained to the floor of the warehouse since the day before the murder. According to Iruma, there was no way for him to possibly escape, because the handcuffs are constructed so as to shock him if he tries to take it off. There was a button that allowed him to communicate with Iruma if he needed to go to the bathroom.

>Ouma's testimony  
Ouma claims he never heard the body discovery announcement for Angie. That would mean he had already been unconscious by the time her body was discovered, although it was never confirmed or established when exactly he lost consciousness.

>Iruma's testimony  
Iruma claims she wasn't sure if she heard the body discovery announcement because she was in the bathroom. Before then, she had spent the day in her room, designing upgrades for Kiibo, who joined her in the afternoon. 

>Toujou's testimony  
Toujou claims that she prepared breakfast for Ouma along with everybody else's, and served it to him after everyone else finished. He rejected the food, but accepted tea. Afterwards, she went upstairs to the laundry room, where she ironed clothes. Apparently, she only left the room twice to refill the water container.

>The state of the body  
The body was found hanging from the back wall of the art room, about a foot off the ground. There is a wound in the back of the head and lower back of the victim where the metal hooks enter the body.

>The paintings  
There were multiple paintings in the art room. Before her death, when Akamatsu talked to her in the morning, the paintings of Amami and Saihara were far from finished, and the painting of Gonta had not been started yet. By the time Angie died, the Amami painting had been finished, the Saihara painting had been close to finished, and the Gonta painting had started taking share. That would suggest the murder took place multiple hours after Akamatsu last saw her. It would place the murder around 3pm at the earliest.

>The Yumeno painting  
The Yumeno painting, created by Angie, was given to Tenko in the morning. It was seen by those in the cafeteria: Akamatsu, Momota, Shirogane, Hoshi and Toujou. According to Tenko, she had not shown it to anyone else. The corpse heavily resembles the painting, wearing a floower crown and wings. Those elements are traditionally used during funerals in her culture,

>The puddle of blood  
Formed below Angie's corpse, from the wound on her lower back It is relatively small, suggesting that the wound is very recent.

>The motive  
The motive of the killer seems related to Monokuma's offer to punish the culprit who killed Saihara if anyone explains how they murdered him. It is possible that the culprit is also responsible for that murder, but that is just an assumption.

>Tenko's testimony  
Tenko claims that she was in the gym earlier and then came to the second floor, where she saw Hoshi and Akamatsu and decided to follow them.

>Harukawa's testimony  
She claims that she was in the cafeteria from about to 15:45 to 16:30. She confir 

>Shirogane's testimony  
She claims that she stayed in the cafeteria for most of the afternoon. She confirms that both Hoshi and Harukawa entered the cafeteria, the latter staying until the body discovery announcement.

>Hoshi's testimony  
Hoshi allegedly took a nap before going upstairs to join Momota in the rec room. On the way, he visited the cafeteria and later ran into Akamatsu.

>Momota's testimony.  
Momota claims that he was at the gym after breakfast and then waited for Hoshi to join him in the rec room.

>Time of death  
Unknown in the Monokuma File, but determined by Akamatsu, as she was most likely the last person who saw Angie alive. The murder couldn't have happened before at least 11pm, when Akamatsu left the art room.

>The personality of the killer  
As pointed out by Ouma, the killer is exceptionally good at getting rid of evidence, or simply picking a murder method that leaves no trace.

TRIAL: START

MONOKUMA: Welcome to the third trial of our wonderful killing game! Before we start, let's get a refresher on the rules, eh?

MONOKUMA: You're about to enter a non-stop debate where everyone can bring out evidence and theories regarding the case.

MONOKUMA: The goal of the trial is to determine who is the villain that killed Yonaga Angie-san before the time is up!

MONOKUMA: Once the time is up, all of you will vote on who you think is the culprit. Not voting is against the rules! Don't think about it

MONOKUMA: If you vote for the right person, they alone will be punished by means of execution! The rest of you will get to continue the game.

MONOKUMA: On the flipside, if you accuse the wrong person, the culprit will get to graduate and go outside to continue their life as nomal, while the rest of you will be executed! Think carefully before voting! There are no take-backsies or second tries!

MONOKUMA: Good luck, you bastards, take it away!

MOMOTA: Where do I even start with this...

TOUJOU: It is difficult to imagine that any of us would commit such a gory murder. We must find the culprit, though, no matter what it takes.

SHIROGANE: You're right, it's hard to imagine... I-it's like someone had a special grudge for Angie-san...

HOSHI: All murders are brutal. We can't spend the whole trial deliberating on that.

HARUKAWA: That's true. We shoud focus and get this over with quickly.

IRUMA: I'm not surprised if someone held a grudge! That bitch was annoying as shit, are you kiddin' me? Don't act like all y'all fuckers liked her!

HARUKAWA: That's also true.

AKAMATSU: That's too harsh...

KIIBO: Angie-san was rather...forceful, at times. I don't think it was enough to be a motive for anyone, though.

HARUKAWA: It was a bigger problem before Yumeno's death. I'll give her that she mellowed out afterwards. The art room pacified her somewhat, or something. I'm sure there were other reasons to kill her, though. _(glaring at Akamatsu)_

AKAMATSU: …

TOUJOU: Indeed, she didn't seem to be harming anyone. I, for one, did not mind her insistence on the nighttime rule. It kept things in order, but I also did not mind it being dropped. I do not think it was the motive. Then again, perhaps we have a wrong idea of the murder.

SHIROGANE: What I'm wondering, um, and it might be stupid to ask...

IRUMA: Oh boy, stupidity incoming!

MOMOTA: Shirogane, this better not mention anime tropes...

OUMA: Wow, Momota-chan, tsundere much?

SHIROGANE: Well, actually...I was just wondering about the connection between some events. If there is one, I mean.

TOUJOU: What do you mean?

SHIROGANE: Um, well... This might be just me, but there are so many weird things that happened...we never solved Saihara-kun's murder, r-right? And the motive was connected with that. A-and then, Ouma-kun got sick, didn't he? Maybe someone was trying-

AKAMATSU: You're wrong.

SHIROGANE: A-ah, such confidence!

HOSHI: What do you mean, Akamatsu?

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun got sick because he was trying to commit suicide out of guilt over Saihara-kun's death. I found his unconscious body and foiled that plan by saving his life. I watched over him for the entire investigation to make sure he wouldn't sneak away and kill someone again. That's the whole truth of the connection between those cases.

HARUKAWA: You sound awfully confident about that.

HOSHI: …

OUMA: That's true, actually! Akamatsu-chan foiled my plan to atone for my sins. How rude.

IRUMA: You serious? You really offed Snorehara? Ha, I knew you were shady!

OUMA: Yup, yup. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to... _(falls asleep standing up)_

IRUMA: _(in awe)_ The fuck? How do you do that?!

KIIBO: _(smirking)_ Ouma-kun appears to be in power saving mode, huh? I wasn't aware human beings could sleep not lying down.

SHIROGANE: Normally, you shouldn't be able to sleep standing up, Kiibo-kun... Ah, this is unnerving. I can't look...!

HARUKAWA: Then don't.

MOMOTA: Oi! We're in the middle of a trial!You can't just go to sleep!

AKAMATSU: I think it's fine if he naps for a bit. After all, he did have a near-death experience. Besides, it's impossible that he's the culprit this time. I know that much for sure, although I don't know who did it.

HARUKAWA: I really wonder what makes you so confident. I'm not saying that I think he's guilty, but I need to be convinced.

SHIROGANE: Could you explain, just so we can be sure, Akamatsu-san? I-I'm not sure how much I believe in Ouma-kun.

AKAMATSU: Of course. And Iruma-san can confirm it all.

IRUMA: _(shivering, hunched over, sweating profusely)_ M-me? Don't put me on the spot like that, what the fuck is wrong with you!

HARUKAWA: I'm not sure if I trust whatever she has to say.

KIIBO: Of course we can! Iruma-san knows what she's talking about!

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san, remember what you told me? About the contraption Ouma-kun was kept in? He couldn't take it off by himself, right?

IRUMA: Oh, that.Yeah, duh, of course! The cuffs had a system that would shock him if he tried to pry 'em open! You can count on Iruma Miu's inventions to do their job right!

KIIBO: Besides, Ouma-kun was heavily supervised by myself, Iruma-san and Toujou-san, minimizing the chance of escape.

SHIROGANE: I-if he was heavily supervised, how come he managed to almost commit suicide?

KIIBO: Well...we didn't watch him the entire time. From around noon, Iruma-san went to her room and I was looking for Akamatsu-san. At that time, he was by himself. 

HARUKAWA: I had no idea where he was even kept. How does Akamatsu know all that, anyway?

IRUMA: She was a nosy bitch and demanded to see him. I couldn't stop her!

HARUKAWA: You could have. Easily. Now, as I understand, he was...handcuffed? Yes?

AKAMATSU: He was chained to the floor in the back of the warehouse, with cuffs around his wrists and ankles. There was a button there that let him communicate with Iruma-san in case he needed something, so she could let him go.

SHIROGANE: _(gasping)_ Gyah, what kind of relationship is that!

HARUKAWA: So, if he called, you would release him? Then it is still possible that he could have escaped, with Iruma as an accomplice. Or, he could have tricked her. Besides, he's stolen keys before...

IRUMA: Don't get ahead of yourself, emo bitch! I'd only release him to escort him to the crapper! And he never even tried to escape, that scrawny li'l shit. And I still have the key, too! Maybe he knew that if he tried anything, he'd be no match for Iruma Miu's power! I'd stomp him into the ground! I'd-

HARUKAWA: I get it. We all do. Quit yapping.

IRUMA: _(cowering)_ N-ngh...!

SHIROGANE: He didn't want to escape even when it was so easy for him? What's up with that?

MOMOTA: I guess he had enough decency to accept his punishment? Who fuckin' knows with this guy. If he really was planning a suicide, maybe he decided it's not worth it being a pain in the ass in his last moments.

SHIROGANE: _(tilting her head)_ You've softened on him somewhat.

MOMOTA: _(defensively)_ Sh-shut up! Maybe he deserves the benefit of the doubt. I dunno. Leave me alone, jeez.

CHABASHIRA: Does he, though?

OUMA: _(softly snoring)_

HOSHI: To clear up all doubts, did you release him at all before the investigation? For any reason?

IRUMA: Once, he had to take a piss in the morning. After that, he left me alone until Bakamatsu found his dumbass passed out body. But that was after the lunatic had already been axed, so unfortunately, Iruma Miu can vouch for his innocence.

HARUKAWA: I see. Akamatsu, I guess you proved your point. I don't trust you one bit, and Iruma is a moron, but she knows what she's doing with her inventions. That doesn't make you any less off the hook, though.

TOUJOU: We're accepting Ouma-kun as innocent for now, then? In that case, we should decide what to discuss next.

AKAMATSU: The Monokuma File doesn't mention the time of death, so we should try to determine that, I think.

SHIROGANE: Oh, that's a great idea! We all saw her at breakfast, right? So we know she was still alive this morning.

CHABASHIRA: Angie gave Tenko the painting and then went to the art room. That was the last time Tenko saw her.

MOMOTA: That was around 10am or something, right?

HARUKAWA: Well, someone did see her afterwards. Right, Akamatsu?

MOMOTA: You did...?

AKAMATSU: Yeah. I did. I spent some time with her just before noon. We talked and I watched her paint. I have no intention of hiding that.

SHIROGANE: What did you talk about? Th-this seems important...if not a bit suspicious...

AKAMATSU: _(taking a deep breath)_ I don't intend to hide anything that I did or noticed there! Anything Angie-san and I talked about might be helpful in solving the case, so I'll tell everyone whatever they need! So listen up, okay? _(pumping her fists)_

HARUKAWA: You sure are optimistic for someone so suspicious. I can't decide if it's more annoying or admirable.

HOSHI: Right now, I'd say someone who admits as much as Akamatsu does is less suspicious, not more. In any case, we should hear her out.

MOMOTA: That's the spirit, Kaede! Tell us what you know!

_Since when are we on a first name basis?_

HARUKAWA: I'm not trying to be biased here...I'm willing to listen to anyone's testimony.

AKAMATSU: So, what happened is that I went to the art room just because I wanted to talk to Angie-san. I didn't expect her to die soon after.

OUMA: _(mumbling in his sleep)_ Mmnnnmhmh.

AKAMATSU: I wanted to watch her paint, but we also ended up talking about other things. We got into a bit of an argument.

SHIROGANE: Argument?

AKAMATSU: Yeah, kind of. Angie-san said that we should stay here instead of trying to escape. Obviously, I still think we should try to escape! I know we can do it if we work together! But Angie-san...thought that this way of thinking is dangerous. At the time, it made me wonder if she's a traitor. She said...'Kaede, it's obvious that the mastermind wants us to be sooooo desperate to leave that we kill each other, when we could just live here! Don't we have everything we need?' and 'Kaede, there's no need to get this angry. If people want to leave as much as you, they will kill someone again…would you kill someone?'...

MONOKUMA: Both are very good points, don't you think? You bastards have already proven you can't work together to save your lives, and will do anything to get out of here and deceive each other. You're here because one of you did it again! 

AKAMATSU: I know. I failed to stop people from killing each other, because the mastermind manipulated me into seeing Angie-san as a threat. I won't make that mistake again! Don't you dare mock me!

MONOKUMA: Ouch, defensive! I have bad news for you, though, Akamatsu-san. The mythical mastermind didn't manipulate you at all! You did this to yourself, Akamatsu-san, those are the facts.

MOMOTA: Hey, shut the fuck up, Monokuma! We can work together if we try! We just have to keep trying! This trial will prove it!

HARUKAWA: The trial where we try to decide who of us will die? Not the epitome of solidarity.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko believes in us as well! She believes that we will uncover the truth!

MONOKUMA: Yikes, that's cringy! Are you all trying to be anime protagonists?

HARUKAWA: _(rolling her eyes)_

HOSHI: Back on track, Akamatsu. You were going somewhere with this, weren't you? You said that your testimony will help us. Did you mean just the argument?

AKAMATSU: No, not really...it had more impact on me than on Angie-san. She just kept painting. It seemed that she wasn't fully there, or she just didn't mind. I think to her, it wasn't even really an argument. I'm the one who got emotional.

SHIROGANE: Wasn't fully there...? That seems like a trance...o-or possession...

AKAMATSU: I think it was. Angie-san said that when she creates, it's really God entering her body and creating through her, and it really did seem like that was happening. I'm not sure how much I believe that, but I know whatever I saw wasn't normal.

IRUMA: God entered her body? Wh-what a kinky bitch... It's not like something doesn't enter the great Iruma Miu when she creates, so she's not even special...!

OUMA: _(mumbling in his sleep)_ I doubt it's God entering you, Iruma-chan.

IRUMA: Eek! Even in his sleep, this shithead is still insulting me! We sure he's not just pretending?

SHIROGANE: M-maybe he's possessed too?

HARUKAWA: ...Possessed? By whom?

SHIROGANE: Y-you know...maybe Angie-san possessed him...?!

IRUMA: Ngh, that's some more kinky shit!

HARUKAWA: Nevermind that. Let's stop talking about entering people's bodies. I'm getting a headache.

KIIBO: I'm sure that he's just asleep! I cannot speak for Angie-san and God, though!

AKAMATSU: Anyway, the reason I mention that conversation with Angie-san is that I think it can help us determine when she died.

TOUJOU: How so? From the conversation alone? Admittedly, that does tell us she was alive when you talked to her, but the body was discovered much later.

KIIBO: Did you notice something in the art room that changed later, Akamatsu-san?

AKAMATSU: As a matter of fact, I did! And I can tell you exactly what it was. Everyone noticed the paintings in the room, right?

MOMOTA: Ah, of Amami, Saihara and Gonta? Yeah, I noticed. What about it?

SHIROGANE: Wait, I have a guess! You saw them before, didn't you?

AKAMATSU: Yeah. I watched Angie-san paint them. At the time we talked, none of them were finished. The painting of Amami-kun was missing the hair, the Saihara-kun one had no background and stuff, the Gonta-kun one wasn't started yet. As you remember...

KIIBO: When the body was discovered, the painting of Amami-kun was finished, as was the one of Saihara-kun.

TOUJOU: To make such progress, it would take Angie-san some time.

CHABASHIRA: The question is, how much time!

HARUKAWA: ...And how sure are we that she's the one who finished them?

AKAMATSU: ...Huh?

HARUKAWA: I'm just saying that it's possible that the culprit continued painting over to trick us. Anyone could have done it.

HOSHI: I don't think anyone of us could impersonate an SHSL Artist. Even if the paintings were close to done.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko has to say...the paintings look exactly like the one Angie-san gifted to Tenko of Yumeno-san. They were definitely both created by the same person, and Tenko is sure that the person is Angie-san. Nobody else could paint like that.

TOUJOU: Indeed, it is safe to assume that none of us could paint like that.

KIIBO: The problem, then...is still to guess how much time it would take Angie-san to progress that much.

AKAMATSU: Since she worked on the painting of Yumeno-san overnight, it's hard to determine precisely. I would say it'd have to be no less than about 3 hours, but that's just a guess...

KIIBO: That seems like an accurate estimate. Three hours at the least. 

HARUKAWA: It's a pretty reasonable guess, but I'm not sure how reliable it is. Disregarding the fact Akamatsu is the only one that saw the paintings before the murder, we can't reliably determine anything based on that. She might have taken breaks for all we know, or the trance might have sped up the process of creation. 

KIIBO: That is true. 

TOUJOU: However, I believe that saying the murder could have been committed anytime between three in the afternoon and half past four, when we discovered the body. 

AKAMATSU: I think it was closer to the latter, because the puddle of blood that formed under Angie-san's body was rather small. 

TOUJOU: That is a good point as well. 

MOMOTA: That seems pretty definitive. Then again, the culprit might have caused that would later to throw us off… 

SHIROGANE: Th-they really might have. I didn't think of that. 

HOSHI: That'd be a pain to pull off, considering how her body looked when we found it. I'm pretty sure the culprit just pinned her there in one go and left. Seemed like a pretty quick job. 

MOMOTA: Man, that's brutal. What kinda sick fuck did this? 

IRUMA: It sure as hell wasn't anyone under 5'4, they wouldn't be able to pin her this high! 

HOSHI: Thanks. 

MOMOTA: That's actually fair. I can't imagine Hoshi doing it. I still can't imagine who would, which isn't helping! 

CHABASHIRA: Maybe you did, Momota-san, in a fit of rage. After all, you almost did it to Ouma-san. 

MOMOTA: ...Oh shit, I did, didn't I? What the fuck. 

HOSHI: You sure did. 

SHIROGANE: Momota-kun, you have no memory of that? W-were you possessed too?! 

MOMOTA: Fuck no, I wasn't! I guess…I was just being stupid. 

IRUMA: As if you aren't always? Pffffffft. 

MOMOTA: Fine, you know what? That was shitty of me. I don't know what came over me. Even if Ouma is the fucking killer, it was stupid of me, okay? Get off my case now. I might have done that...but I didn't do this! Promise! I had no beef with her! 

SHIROGANE: Do you have an alibi? J-just to be sure...!

MOMOTA: How am I supposed to have one, we never established the time of death for sure!

HARUKAWA: So, let's say between half past three and half past four. That seems fair. I was in the cafeteria for most of that time, and before then I was in the library. What were you doing then, Akamatsu, Momota? 

AKAMATSU: Huh, me? I think I was in the music room. By that time, Kiibo-kun had left so I played by myself. And then I met Hoshi-kun and we were together since. That's all, I think. 

HARUKAWA: _(sighing)_ Don't act like I'm singling you out, Akamatsu. There are just too many clues leading towards you for comfort. 

AKAMATSU: I-I get it. 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

OUMA: _(snoring)_

MOMOTA: I was in the rec room. Before then, I was at the gym. That's all. I was waiting for Hoshi and almost fell asleep up there. 

SHIROGANE: Seems like we have a case of pretty weak alibis…ah, what do, what do...

MOMOTA: Yeah? How good could yours possibly be?

SHIROGANE: A-ah! I was in the cafeteria the entire time. B-both Hoshi-kun and Harukawa-san can confirm it. I'm afraid I'm clean, s-sorry. 

IRUMA: I bet you're actually filthy, you otaku hoe! 

SHIROGANE: ... 

TOUJOU: My own alibi is about as weak as Momota-kun’s. I was in the laundry room the entire time, I only left to refill the water container. 

HOSHI: If you think Akamatsu's alibi, then so is mine. I went to the cafeteria and then ran into her on the way upstairs. 

SHIROGANE: It seems that we've reached an impasse. 

HARUKAWA: It makes the most sense for it to be one of you. So much sense that it almost feels too obvious. 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

MOMOTA: Goddammit, am I really supposed to be on my toes all the time? I didn't do it! At this point I almost believe that Monokuma did it to mess with us! 

MONOKUMA: This bear swears he didn't do it! One of you bastards did! And I know who it is, but don't even think about asking me! Y'all are running in circles. 

AKAMATSU: I didn't do it either! I actually wanted to make peace with Angie-san after the argument, but I kept hesitating. And when I finally decided I'd do it, I found her dead body nailed to the wall! I would never do it! 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

OUMA: Snzzzz… 

SHIROGANE: Ah, this is terrible. Simply, plainly terrible. 

HARUKAWA: Chabashira, are you okay? You've been quiet for a while. I almost forgot to ask your alibi.

MOMOTA: Wh- Chabashira, what's going on? Hey! 

CHABASHIRA: _(shivering)_ Tenko…isn't okay. She isn't okay. This has gone on for too long, Tenko can't take it… 

AKAMATSU: Chabashira-san…? 

KIIBO: Chabashira-san, what happened?

IRUMA: Hey, earth to aikidiot, can you hear my angelic voice? Speak up! 

HARUKAWA: T…Chabashira? 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko is the culprit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I love writing trials!!!!
> 
> Don't you just love how Harukawa's rolee evolved?
> 
> Also, I needed sleeping Ouma in at least one trial, you know.
> 
> Thank you all for the feedback and theories on the investigation. Much appreciated.


	32. Chapter 3: Trial 2

Time seemingly froze around Akamatsu. Everything slowed down, compared to how fast her heart was beating, until it paused entirely, everyone's faces stuck in expressions of shock and surprise.

Tenko...? Was it possible that Tenko killed Angie? Had she, Akamatsu, made a mistake in her assumption? She wasn't sure who she expected to be the killer, but it wasn't Tenko. She had to think, and fast, or she would make the wrong call, perhaps a fatal one.

Deep breath. Calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. Again, and again.

Could Tenko have technically killed Saihara? Well, she could have done it when she went to check on Yumeno. That is entirely possible, now that she thought about it.

Could she have tried to poison Ouma? Possibly, she was in the cafeteria in the morning and could have spiked the tea. If she is Saihara's killer, she'd have every reason to want to eliminate Ouma.

What about Angie? Yes...that too was possible, wasn't it? What if 'that' was a lie...

Akamatsu clenched her fists. She had to go wherever the truth took her. She also had to be very careful. Any mistake could cost everyone their lives.

The world around her started moving at its normal pace again.

HARUKAWA: Huh...?

MOMOTA: What, Chabashira?! Did you really...?! What the fuck!

CHABASHIRA: Y-yes... Tenko can't shift the blame to anyone else anymore. She caused Angie-san's death with her own hands.

SHIROGANE: Agh, I-I...I don't believe it! All this time, I thought that Momota-kun killed her in a fit of rage for not drawing his nose right or something!

MOMOTA: That's oddly specific! Also, that wouldn't have happened, she never got to draw me, what the fuck are you talking about!

SHIROGANE: _(hugging herself, nervously)_ W-well, there you go...that's just as good a reason if you'd ask me... N-not getting what you want...

MOMOTA: Do you really think I'm that self-absorbed? What the fuck have you been imagining about me?! Or are you saying you would do that?!

HOSHI: _(nonchalantly, with a smirk)_ To be fair to Shirogane, you did talk about wanting a portrait of your own. I was almost worried about it myself.

SHIROGANE: S-see?

MOMOTA: _(shocked)_ What the fuck?! This is so fuckin' unfair! Just because I did some things wrong, you pin everything on me?!

KIIBO: I don't mean to distract from Momota-kun's personality and anger issues, but I think we should focus on Chabashira-san's confession.

MOMOTA: _(weakly)_ Personality...anger issues...?

HARUKAWA: Agreed. It's not worth our time. Chabashira, before we make our judgement and vote for you, I think we deserve to know what exactly happened.

AKAMATSU: Yeah, Chabashira-san, please tell us...why? Why did you do it? And how?

CHABASHIRA: Of course, Tenko will confess everything. Everyone...you deserve to know.

IRUMA: Don't leave out any spicy details! I need to know what'd gotten into ya!

SHIROGANE: _(gasping)_ C-could it be...? P-possessi-

CHABASHIRA: Tenko wasn't planning to kill Angie-san...she didn't plan it at all. M-much like Akamatsu-san, she was just trying to talk about some things...and then...

HARUKAWA: I see... It was an accident, then.

HOSHI: _(nodding)_ That makes more sense. With full respect to Chabashira, I didn't expect her to plan an elaborate murder.

AKAMATSU: …

_This case is falling apart. Was Ouma wrong, or was he trying to make her question his words about the culprit's personality? If this wasn't a planned murder, then..._

AKAMATSU: Hey, let's let Chabashira-san continue. I have a feeling that something is missing here. I want to know more.

TOUJOU: I agree. Chabashira-san, please proceed.

CHABASHIRA: _(nervously)_ Tenko lied earlier, to Akamatsu-san and Hoshi-san. She didn't see them where she said she did. She wasn't where she said she was...

AKAMATSU: …

And so...'that' was a lie in the end...

TOUJOU: I did not hear what you said to them. Could you elaborate?

IRUMA: Yeah, we weren't there, numbnuts!

CHABASHIRA: O-of course... Tenko said that she went to the gym and then onto the second floor, and there she noticed Akamatsu-san and Hoshi-san going upstairs, so she followed them, expecting something to be happening.

HOSHI: Yeah, that's how I remember it. What's the truth, then?

CHABASHIRA: It is true that Tenko saw Akamatsu-san and Hoshi-san and decided to follow them. B-but the place...is different...as are the circumstances...

AKAMATSU: I'll take a guess...you noticed us when you were leaving the art room, right? After the...murder...

CHABASHIRA: _(gasping)_ Yes! That is the case!

AKAMATSU: That's what I thought... That makes more sense.

HOSHI: As I remember, Chabashira, you did look like you just murdered someone when you entered the rec room. I get it now.

MOMOTA: Holy shit, you're right... Now that I remember, she was all sweaty and shifty and out of breath. Didn't she say that it was from running up the stairs? So, that was...

AKAMATSU: A lie, yes... I can't believe this.

KIIBO: Chabashira-san... I didn't expect you of all people could lie like this...

OUMA: You mean, pretty poorly?

IRUMA: Aaaaaaaaagh, the piece of shit twink is awake!

SHIROGANE: H-how long have you been awake for...?

OUMA: _(yawning)_ A while. What did I miss? Can someone catch me up? I feel sooooo energized now!

IRUMA: God fuckin' dammit, how much do I have to wait before the aikidiot finishes her confession? Someone give him a TL;DR!

OUMA: _(tilting his head)_ Oh?

KIIBO: Chabashira-san confessed to being Angie-san's killer.

OUMA: _(gasping)_ Did she? Wow, Chabashira-chan, I had no idea! How did you do it?

AKAMATSU: …

TOUJOU: That is what we have been trying to determine.

IRUMA: Everyone shut the fuck and let her speak so we can vote and get out of here already!

OUMA: Go on, Chabashira-chan. I'm all ears.

CHABASHIRA: As Tenko was saying earlier, she wanted to talk to Angie-san. There were some things about Yumeno-san's death that were bothering her, a-and since Angie-san was the last person to talk to Yumeno-san, and was friends with Shinguuji-san, Tenko thought she'd be able to answer.

AKAMATSU: So that was still on your mind... I can't say I don't understand that.

HARUKAWA: …

CHABASHIRA: Tenko couldn't stop thinking about it. She tried...very hard... Harukawa-san convinced her that it wasn't worth dwelling on, but then... _(tearing up)_

AKAMATSU: Did...did the painting remind you of it all?

CHABASHIRA: _(biting her lips and nodding, tears streaming down her face)_

OUMA: Painting?

MOMOTA: Oh, right, not everyone was there to see the painting that Angie gave Chabashira!

AKAMATSU: For those who weren't there, the painting was similar to the ones in the art room. It depicted Yumeno-san wearing a flower crown with wings behind her.

OUMA: Kind of like Angie-san's body!

AKAMATSU: Yeah...I'm pretty sure that the body was supposed to reference the paintings, probably the original one. As Angie-san explained to me, the flowers and the feathers are symbolic. I'm still not sure if the culprit would know about that, though.

KIIBO: Well, we can ask, can't we?

TOUJOU: Chabashira-san, have you heard anything about that?

CHABASHIRA: _(choking on her tears)_

HOSHI: I think we should let her tell us everything in order. We still don't know what led to the murder. Chabashira, are you okay?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will keep talking...the painting reminded her of the whole situation. Angie-san seemed to feel sorry for her, and it made Tenko feel many things at once. She went to her room to think and calm down. Then, she decided to talk to Angie-san. To find out what made her do all this for Tenko.

OUMA: Hey, Chabashira-chan, just a guess but...were you jealous?

HARUKAWA: ...

CHABASHIRA: Tenko has to be honest about her feelings, doesn't she? Yes...she may have been jealous. She couldn't understand why Yumeno-san chose to confide in Angie-san at first. Harukawa-san made her realise that it was because Yumeno-san didn't like her much at all. Tenko asked herself what she would do if she was the one Yumeno-san chose, and she can't be sure...but she couldn't shake the thought that maybe Yumeno-san wouldn't have died. She wanted to believe it.

TOUJOU: Did you suspect that Angie-san was aware that Shinguuji-kun was planning to kill Yumeno-san?

CHABASHIRA: It seemed...possible...so Tenko wanted to make sure...

AKAMATSU: As always, we doubt each other when we should believe... I made the same mistake with Angie-san.

HOSHI: What did she say when you asked, Chabashira?

CHABASHIRA: She said that she didn't know for sure but in hindsight, she did notice that something was coming. She also...expected something to happen to Saihara-san.

AKAMATSU: ...Huh?

IRUMA:: She did?! Why the fuck didn't she do anything? Not like I care or anything-

OUMA: Iruma-chan, you can't guess? Angie-chan probably knew that if she tried to do anything, she'd end up killed instead, or silenced in some other way. And, whoops, she was silenced and killed anyway!

AKAMATSU: Hey...

HOSHI: That makes sense. Even if she saw anything, I understand if she didn't want to get involved. I wonder what she did notice, though. I didn't see anything coming.

CHABASHIRA: She didn't say what it was... Tenko started questioning her, because she was angry...that Angie-san didn't do anything when it seemed like she had an opportunity. It almost seemed like she was fine with it.

AKAMATSU: Actually, that makes sense. I talked to Angie-san before, and it did seem that she thought we should accept everything that happens. The reason why she didn't want us to try to escape was that it was basically God's will. So maybe...maybe she thought that preventing the deaths she expected would be meddling with that will as well.

IRUMA: That's fuckin' bullshit! Not like I care that these losers god themselves killed, but Iruma Miu wouldn't be caught dead caring about what some shitty God wants!

AKAMATSU: I'm sure, Iruma-san. I think it's pretty bad too, but maybe that's how she coped with being stuck here. At this point, I can't really judge that all too harshly...

HARUKAWA: It's just self-preservation. Understandable in our situation. Cowardly, surely, but definitely smart of her.

CHABASHIRA: When Angie-san noticed Tenko was upset, she made her an offer...

IRUMA: ...What kinda offer? Some kinky shit?

SHIROGANE: I doubt that...

CHABASHIRA: No... It was an offer to confirm her sincerity.

IRUMA: How? With a fuckin' lie detector?

OUMA: _(whispering)_ Those don't always work anyway. There's no better lie detector than a professional liar, nishishi~

MOMOTA: Jesus Christ, do you ever stop bragging about that?

OUMA: Momota-chan, you're just bitter because you suck at realising when someone is lying!

MOMOTA: Are you fucking calling me stupid?

IRUMA: We all are, ya really haven't caught on until now? Gyahahaha!

OUMA: Iruma-chan, can you do me a favour and shut your whore mouth?

IRUMA: Ngh!

TOUJOU: What was the offer, Chabashira-san?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko has the ability to tell how pure someone's intentions and heart are if she flips them. It's part of her neo aikido.

OUMA: Oh! Oh! Flip me, flip me!

AKAMATSU: …

CHABASHIRA: Don't you dare mock Tenko! Even now, she will never allow it! Not as long as she's alive!

KIIBO: Ignore him, Chabashira-san, he's not worth your attention. He seems to want to upset you further.

AKAMATSU: Yeah, let's focus here. So, she asked you to...flip her?

CHABASHIRA: _(nodding)_ Angie-san said that she understands why Tenko would be upset. She tried to make it up to her, but she knows that it may not be enough. So, to show that she's honest, she wants Tenko to flip her and read her heart this way.

AKAMATSU: And you agreed to do it.

CHABASHIRA: Angie-san insisted on it, and Tenko was conflicted about it. A part of her was convinced that the offer itself proved that Angie-san didn't have anything to hide, and should just be forgiven. But, another part...

HOSHI: You were mourning, and jealous, and I bet a part of you wanted to get some sort of revenge for the pain.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko is ashamed of those feelings. All she ever wanted was to protect all girls, and yet those ugly feelings still crept into her heart... It's shameful.

HOSHI: I understand these feelings all too well. There's something enticing about payback. It seems righteous.

TOUJOU: Then, when you did what she asked you to...

CHABASHIRA: Tenko isn't sure what happened. She flipped Angie-sa, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on the floor, not moving. Tenko thinks her head hit the floor... 

AKAMATSU: …

CHABASHIRA: Tenko panicked. Angie-san's eyes weren't opening, she didn't seem to be alive anymore. Tenko decided to decorate her body to respect the customs of her culture – Angie-san mentioned the symbolism when Tenko asked about the painting. A-and then...she carefully looked out the door and saw Hoshi-san and Akamatsu-san walking towards the rec room. She waited for them to go inside, and went out. First, she headed towards the bathroom, to calm herself by washing her face. Then, she went into the rec room. She...she r-really was planning to tell everyone what happened immediately, b-but...

HARUKAWA: That's the final version of events?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko thinks so. She wasn't trying to hide anything.

HARUKAWA: I see...

OUMA: Chabashira-chan, I have good news for you!

CHABASHIRA: If you're planning to mock Tenko once again...

OUMA: Nope, far from it. The good news is, you're not the culprit!

CHABASHIRA: Huh? You are mocking Tenko! She knows what she did!

OUMA: Haha, nope! I'm totally serious here! Akamatsu-chan, did you catch it too?

AKAMATSU: I think so...

OUMA: Chabashira-chan, you didn't move the body, did you? You're not the one who nailed it to the wall?

CHABASHIRA: No, Tenko left the body where it was...she was surprised to see it there. Somebody must have moved it after she left the room, but she doesn't know who it was or why they did it.

OUMA: Then, you're not the killer! Although you sure made their job easier.

IRUMA: …???!!!

AKAMATSU: Chabashira-san, everyone, let's look at the Monokuma File again, okay? That should explain it. Look:

'The victim is Yonaga Angie.  
The cause of death is a stab wound on her head. It appears that she had gotten a concussion before death. There is also a wound on her lower back.  
There are no signs of struggle.'

IRUMA: ?

TOUJOU: Hm... I think I know what you mean.

AKAMATSU: The cause of death is a stab wound to her head. Which is the wound she got from the hook on the wall. Meanwhile, what Chabashira-san did caused the concussion mentioned in the file. I think it made Angie-san unconscious, but not dead. I'm not sure how severe it was, but it did not kill her, I'm sure of it.

CHABASHIRA:: H-huh... Tenko never realised that...

HARUKAWA: You were so convinced of your guilt that you never checked twice...?

HOSHI: I have to admit, you must have been pretty distraught...

KIIBO: Chabashira-san must have assumed that someone moved the body for their own reasons.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko was so confused... She's still so confused... Does that mean...whoever moved the body is the true killer? B-but, Tenko was so sure...

OUMA: You're not the killer. And, I have another good news! I can tell you who is!

CHABASHIRA: O-oh?

HARUKAWA: I take it that Yonaga wasn't the only person who figured it out, then.

SHIROGANE: W-who is it?

MOMOTA: I'm not sure if I believe what he's saying, but, what the hell, that's all we have. I can't guess who did it.

OUMA: If you thought about it for more than a second, you'd get it easily! I have to go way back to paint the full picture though. You see, I lied earlier.

MOMOTA: Wow, that's fuckin' new.

KIIBO: Which lie are we talking about? Ouma-kun, you lie quite a lot.

OUMA: I lied about killing Saihara-chan, obviously.

IRUMA: ?!

SHIROGANE: That's how far back we're going?!

OUMA: Obviously. It all comes down to Saihara-chan's murder. Really, I don't think he was ever this relevant before he died.

AKAMATSU: After all, the motive was related to Saihara-kun''s death. It's not surprising that it would be relevant.

MONOKUMA: Not a motive! An opportunity!

MOMOTA: Eugh, sure, whatever you say.

MONOKUMA: It's not my fault ou bastards will use anything as a motive!

AKAMATSU: A-anyway... I always had a feeling that there was a connection.

HARUKAWA: Didn't you claim that Ouma was trying to kill himself out of guilt?

AKAMATSU: ...I misjudged, is all.

OUMA: That's what I told Akamatsu-chan when she found me! She was nice enough to believe me, so don't blame her for it. For the record, that was definitely someone trying to kill me. I'll get to that.

HARUKAWA: Mmm-hmmm... Continue.

OUMA: I didn't kill Saihara-chan! I should have, probably, but such an easy murder is below my standards. Our killer, meanwhile, did stoop that low, and more than once! _(smile drops)_ And I wasn't planning to expose them at first, because I thought I might be wrong. Now, I know I'm not. For once, I won't lie to you guys, because I can tell when a lie isn't helpful.

MOMOTA: Wait just a second. There's one question I need to ask. If you didn't kill Saihara, where did you get the key from?

OUMA: _(giggling)_ Oh boy, Momota-chan. The answer to that question would be so simple if you thought about it!

MOMOTA: _(sighing)_ Look, I know you can't talk to me without being a condescending piece of shit, but it's getting old. Can you just answer the question?

OUMA: I think I get to be a bit condescending, since I can still feel your hand choking me! Anyway, sure. Here goes the explanation: it wasn't Saihara-chan's key.

MOMOTA: ...Huh? What was it then?

OUMA: My own key. Which I lost forever, since Monokuma was mean and didn't give it back. _(pouting)_

MONOKUMA: Hey, it's your own fault, you bastard! I just played along with what you set up.

OUMA: I respect that.

SHIROGANE: Wait, I'm so confused... If that was your key, not Saihara-kun's, then...what happened to his key? And what was even the point of doing that?

OUMA: _(playing with his hair)_ I dunno. I'm not the culprit, so I can only guess what they did with it. My guess is that they disposed of it in a way they were sure of. Like, maybe they flushed it down the toilet or something.

AKAMATSU: Oh...that's what you meant when you said they're good at hiding evidence. I wouldn't have thought of that.

OUMA: Of course you wouldn't. Only a very specific type of person would consider that. Our killer expected that if they hid the key this well, they'd be safe. That's why they tried to kill me later, in a similarly sneaky way. How would you prove that someone slipped sleeping pills into my tea? How would you prove who did it?

CHABASHIRA: That...that's twisted.

SHIROGANE: I-it really is. If it's true, that is.

OUMA: _(tilting his head)_ Aww, Shirogane-chan, you still doubt me? I can't blame you, I'm a liar after all. Will you believe me if I say that saying I killed Saihara-chan was a test?

SHIROGANE: A test?

TOUJOU: A test for whom?

HOSHI: You were trying to see if your guess is correct, judging by the culprit's reaction to you having the key, weren't you?

OUMA: Ding ding ding! Hoshi-chan, you're too smart!

HARUKAWA: You realise that this move was very risky, right?

OUMA: I realised that the instant Momota-chan started choking me! You should keep your kink in the bedroom, by the way, and warn me next time you want to try asphyxiation!

MOMOTA: Ngh! Sh-shut up. You will never let me forget that, huh?

OUMA: Nope! But I forgive you.

HARUKAWA: Was it worth almost dying to pull that stunt?

OUMA: No duh it was. I confirmed who the killer was. Their face was hilarious! Sadly, Angie-chan and Akamatsu-chan decided to defend me, which almost made me think something went wrong. I didn't think Akamatsu-chan knew that someone else did it, but I was sure that Angie-chan did.

CHABASHIRA: And you were right... Angie-chan did know something.

SHIROGANE: But...how did she know?

HOSHI: She did go around waking everyone up in the mornings. Maybe she got a vibe from someone. I always got a feeling that she had a sixth sense of sorts, so I wouln't put it past her.

KIIBO: I want to make sure of something. Ouma-kun, are you implying that the person behind Saihara-kun's murder also tried to kill you and is responsible for Angie-san's death?

OUMA: Uh-huh. They caught onto the fact Angie-chan and I seemed to be in cahoots, and they were obviously aware that I was bluffing about the key. Funny how things work!

SHIROGANE: Wh-who of us could be so twisted?

MOMOTA: It really sounds like he's making all this up. It makes sense, I guess, but I feel like he's fucking with us! It sounds impossible that anybody here would try to commit three fucking murders!

OUMA: It's not only possible, it's true! Hey, culprit-chan, should we end this? I'm getting tired of talking so much!

MOMOTA: That's a lie. You love the sound of your own voice.

OUMA: Don't you all? It's a pretty sexy voice, you know?

HOSHI: …

OUMA: Do you guys still not see it? C'mon, it's not that hard!

AKAMATSU: There's only on person it can be.

It was almost laughable how obvious it was too her now. The answer was in plain sight from the start. She didn't want do believe it, and she was sure the others wouldn't be convinced easily, either.

But there could only be one truth, and she would lead them to it, kicking and screaming if need be.

There's only one person it could be.

The culprit who killed Saihara Shuuichi and Yonaga Angie was-

OUMA: So, what's in gonna be? Tou-jou-cha~an~?

IRUMA: …???!!!

TOUJOU: ...Excuse me?

MOMOTA: Huh? Toujou? Now I know you're fucking bluffing, you fucker!

CHABASHIRA: Liar!

SHIROGANE: T-there's no way! I will never believe Toujou-san would commit so many murders! Or any murders at all!

KIIBO: Me neither! Toujou-san is kind and gentle, why would she commit murder?

OUMA: _(tilting his head)_ You guys sure trust Toujou-chan a lot, huh?

SHIROGANE: Well, of course! Toujou-san has been taking care of us this entire time. She's been making us breakfast, and doing our laundry, and helping us with things.

KIIBO: Toujou-san taught me so many things and even made clothes for me. Her kindness knows no bounds. You're lying!

MOMOTA: I saw her reaction to losing the key and finding Saihara's body. You can't fake that! She was bawling her eyes out, dude! Are you trying to tell me she was pretending?

OUMA: _(playing with his hair)_ Yeah, obviously.

HOSHI: I also find it hard to believe, but I don't think Ouma would just say it if it was unfounded.

CHABASHIRA: Of course he would! That's all he ever does!

AKAMATSU: I think...that I know where Ouma-kun is coming from.

MOMOTA: What, Akamatsu, you too?!

AKAMATSU: Believe me, I don't want it to be true too, but there is no other possibility I can see!

TOUJOU: Akamatsu-san, do you think I would commit such vile murders? I am at a loss for words... _(sighing, closing her eyes)_

AKAMATSU: I don't think you did! But I *know* you did.

MOMOTA: That's a pretty heavy claim, Akamatsu. How do you justify it? I'm not fucking sold, for one.

IRUMA: …

OUMA: Man, you guys refuse to see what's right in front of you, just because it's inconvenent. Some truth-seekers you are! _(smile dropping, hoarse voice)_ Say, did you guys ever wonder if maybe Toujou-chan's helpfulness is a point against her, and not in her favour?

SHIROGANE: I...I don't think that makes much sense...

OUMA: That's because you refuse to think. It's good think that you failed to kill me, Toujou-chan, or I'm sure you would get away with what you did. You thought you had me, didn't you?

TOUJOU: I have no idea what you are talking about. I never wished any harm upon you. Why would I? You are one of the people I vowed to serve.

MOMOTA: Yeah, what the hell? Hey, dipshit, did you forget that Toujou defended you multiple times?

OUMA: Of course I didn't. Man, this is exactly what I was talking about! You see what you want to see, Momota-chan. It's almost sad.

MOMOTA: What the fuck else am I supposed to be seeing here?

OUMA: There are two types of liars, genrally. People like me, who are upfront about it, and people like Toujou-chan, who make sure to seem as honest as possible. You morons! Don't you see that your trust in her isn't letting you see straight? Idiots! She played you like a fiddle! Toujou-chan knew that if she seems trustworthy, she can get away with whatever!

TOUJOU: That's preposterous! I cannot believe...

SHIROGANE: B-but what about the key, Ouma-kun? I still don't get it, how could she have done it if she lost the key?

OUMA: Idiot! What proof do you have that she lost the key? Huuuuh?

HARUKAWA: That's right. All we have is her word.

TOUJOU: Excuse me, this hurts to say... It was rather embarrassing to admit that I lost the key. I was and still am ashamed of my neglicence. To imply that I lied is rather cruel.

AKAMATSU: It's not cruel, it makes too much sense... In fact, it explains everything. Everyone, didn't you get a feeling that the whole thing with Saihara-kun was kind of weird?

MOMOTA: Weird how?

AKAMATSU: If we assume that Toujou-san never lost it, everything starts to fall into place. Because then, it would mean that she had the key, she opened the door, she killed Saihara-kun by smothering with a pillow, disposed of the key and left the door open to make sure we could discover the body without the key available.

HARUKAWA: That was a risky move. Someone could have noticed that the door was open. Alterntively, someone could have closed the door. Then, we would never discover the body.

HOSHI: With the way Toujou constructed the story, we wouldn't know when she supposedly lost the key. She could count on us never being able to pin the killer.

OUMA: Ding-dong! And then she could approach you all teary-eyed and say that she messed up and lost the key. Poor Toujou-chan, don't worry, it was just a mistake! We can't blame you! Whoever stole the key is the bad one here! Am I riiiiiiiight~? That's what you all said, isn't it? Nishishishi!

AKAMATSU: …

KIIBO: Th-that was...?

AKAMATSU: Momota-kun, I just remembered something. Didn't you say Toujou-san tripped down the stairs?

MOMOTA: Huh? Yeah, what of it? _(eyes widening)_ Wait...fuck...

CHABASHIRA: What is that about? Tenko thinks that seems unrelated.

MOMOTA: What Kaede is implying is...she tripped on purpose to slow us down, so as to delay the body discovery.

OUMA: Oooooh, that one I didn't know about! Nice catch, Akamatsu-chan! Very sneaky, Toujou-chan!

TOUJOU: I was in such a rush to make sure Saihara-kun is safe that I slipped. That is all. The fact you are reading malicious intent into it is ludicrous. I was simply fulfilling my duties.

OUMA: Sure you were.

MOMOTA: That...makes too much sense. But it still doesn't mean she tried to kill you or killed Angie, right? And it's just a guess...it's not confirmed.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko isn't sure what to believe anymore...

AKAMATSU: The murder attempt on Ouma-kun has all the same fingerprints as Saihara-kun's murder. Someone put sleeping pills in his tea, but we would have no way to prove it was Toujou-san. The tray was in the cafeteria and only brought to him after we finished breakfast. Anyone who was there before then would be suspect.

HARUKAWA: I see. It's almost too obvious now. In both siuations, Toujou should be the most obvious suspect. But because of the way we're presented with the situation, it seems like someone was trying to set her up, not the other way around.

HOSHI: If we can't pin the culprit for sure, we can't proceed with the vote. In that case, Toujou would win, unless we decided to gamble on it. It's too perfect.

OUMA: And it would be a success if she succeeded at killing me!

TOUJOU: That's ridiculous. I had no idea that someone had spiked your tea. I apologise for the oversight.

OUMA: Nishishi! Ah, Toujou-chan, let me guess! Were you planning to say that I killed myself in the end? Huh, huh?

TOUJOU: Excuse me?

OUMA: Y'know, I keep thinking and thinking. Nobody would be able to prove that I didn't kill myself, you know? You could just say I asked you for sleeping pills. As Akamatsu-chan proved, the others would believe that no problem! After all, as far as they'd know, I'm Saihara-chan's killer!

TOUJOU: Ouma-kun, I think you might still be unwell. Your imagination seems to be running wild. Perhaps you should rest again?

OUMA: Me? Nah, I've never been better! I'm super-duper energized!

KIIBO: I can confirm that Ouma-kun seems rather lively, compared to his earlier state. However, I'm not sure about the quality or validity of his words.

MOMOTA: Ouma...even if I believed everything you just said, what the fuck does that have to do with Angie's death? Is there a connection I'm not seeing?

OUMA: Uh-huh! You see, Toujou-chan took my bait.

HARUKAWA: Bait?

OUMA: Yuppers! Toujou-chan, you liked the drawing of me and Angie-chan, didn't you? Sure seemed like we're in cahoots or something!

SHIROGANE: Wait, the drawing...the one you gave Angie-san at breakfast? That was bait for Toujou-san? Wh-what was it supposed to accomplish?

HOSHI: I assume it was supposed to make her think they're working together. And since she knew that Ouma seemed to know who killed Saihara, that put Yonaga in danger as well.

OUMA: To be fair, she put herself in danger first by defending me. I just used it to try and save my own skin. It was easy, since I was so isolated that Toujou-chan could be almost sure that I wouldn't be a threat. Sucks for Angie-chan, though!

SHIROGANE: That's...a pretty terrible thing to do, Ouma-kun.

CHABASHIRA: You're complicit in Angie-san's death, then!

OUMA: Glass houses, Chabashira-chan! Besides, duh. When did I ever say I'm a good person? You do what you have to do to survive. I almost died either way, so I think I have been punished enough. Good for you that I didn't die, too, because most of you are morons!

TOUJOU: You are not going to win anyone over by being rude. Perhaps you should stop talking now. Did you share everything you wanted to?

OUMA: Maybe.

TOUJOU: Then, I suppose we can move on from Ouma-kun's wild speculation. He seems to hold a grudge against me.

HARUKAWA: Well, what's your defence, then? You haven't countered anything yet.

TOUJOU: Pardon?

KIIBO: Toujou-san, you must prove your innocence!

TOUJOU: I believe I already have. None of what Ouma-kun said is solid evidence. Unless he can prove that I lied at any point, I have nothing to prove.

HOSHI: His claims make much more sense than yours.

MOMOTA: I hate to admit it, but...something isn't adding up here.

TOUJOU: Fine then, since you chose to believe this brat over me, let us move onto the murder, shall we?

OUMA: Brat? Mom, what did I do wrong? A-am I naughty boy?

TOUJOU: …

AKAMATSU: Yeah, actually, we've stalled long enough. Let's get to the proof that Toujou-san is the culprit who killed Angie-san!

TOUJOU: You sound awfully confident, Akamatsu-san. Do you have such little faith in me?

AKAMATSU: I have a lot of faith in you. That's how I know nobody else could have done it!

HARUKAWA: Let's go back to what we established about the murder, since we've strayed so far away from it.

KIIBO: Chabashira-san left the art room, thinking that she had killed Angie-san. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and then proceeded into the rec room.

HOSHI: Yonaga died between the moment Chabashira left the room and the moment we found the body. That seems like a pretty narrow window.

HARUKAWA: Which is good. We needed a definitive way of pinning down the time of death.

AKAMATSU: And it also shows that Toujou-san is the only one who could have done it.

TOUJOU: That is a stretch. I was busy ironing and learned about the body exactly when you did.

AKAMATSU: No, you don't get it. There's no chance that it was anyone but you, no matter what!

TOUJOU: _(sighing)_ That is slander. Let us hear what you have to say, though.

AKAMATSU: The reason is simple. You are the only person who was by yourself at the time. Everyone else has someone to account for them. Let's all remember. Hoshi-kun and I made it to the rec room before Chabashira-san and stayed together with her and Momota-kun since. Harukawa-san and Shirogane-san were in the cafeteria together. Iruma-san was with Kiibo-kun and trapped in the bathroom on top of it. Ouma-kun was unconscious or on the verge of passing out, on top of being chained down. That leaves...

MOMOTA: No other option... Dammit, Toujou, really?

TOUJOU: Is that your final argument? I ask because it is unfortunately so full of holes that I cannot believe you think it proves my guilt. It seems that, regretfully, you had been manipulated by Ouma-kun. Why he holds such a grudge against me, I do not know, but I wish you would think critically about his words.

AKAMATSU: …

_She's already lost, but she keeps trying to fight back against obvious evidence... It's almost admirable ___

__HARUKAWA: Let's hear it. What are the holes?_ _

__TOUJOU: We have established that Chabashira-san dealt the first blow, rendering Angie-san helpless and close to death. How was I, busy with my tasks, supposed to know about it? Even further, why would I do such a horrid thing to the body, assuming I did find it?_ _

__HOSHI: That is weird. How would she know? Unless she set Chabashira up._ _

__CHABASHIRA: No, Tenko did not talk to Toujou-san at all before the body was discovered._ _

__OUMA: Hey, Toujou-chan, if we rebut this claim, will you admit defeat? I'm getting bored._ _

__TOUJOU: I would, but it is impossible to rebut. Particularly not by you._ _

__MOMOTA: That was cold..._ _

__AKAMATSU: Then allow me to try. What you just said was pretty damning._ _

__TOUJOU: How so? Akamatsu-san, I feel like you would be suspicious of everything I say..._ _

__AKAMATSU: It's true that you couldn't expect Chabashira-san to attack Angie-san...but you still could have noticed her leaving the room, all shaken and terrified. The door to the laundry room is positioned so that if you opened it just a bit, you'd see that easily._ _

__TOUJOU: ..And so?_ _

__AKAMATSU: Unlike when you killed Saihara-kun, you knew that if we found a body, you wouldn't be allowed to leave. So you went to check on it. If Angie-san was dead, you could hide the body. But if she was still alive, and Chabashira-san was distraught because of something else, you could kill her yourself and ensure your spot as the person who'd graduate._ _

__HOSHI: I assume you were planning to kill Yonaga anyway, because you couldn't tell how much of a threat she is, and you're better off safe than sorry. In which case, Chabashira's accident set you in rather risky position._ _

__TOUJOU: Excuse me, but I did not go anywhere near the art room. I only left the laundry room to get water, which is when you ran into me._ _

__AKAMATSU: You only went to the bathroom after Chabashira-san left it, assuming you went there at all. For all we know, before the door opened, you might have been eavesdropping and just pretended that you were just in the bathroom._ _

__TOUJOU: How dare you!_ _

__AKAMATSU: And now you told us for a fact that you saw the body! You said 'rendering Angie-san helpless and close to death', didn't you? But Chabashira-san never confirmed if Angie-san's condition was critical, she just assumed she was dead because she was unconscious!_ _

__TOUJOU: …_ _

__MOMOTA: Man, that sure was a slip-up._ _

__OUMA: Toujou-chan is pretty bad at improvising. Y'know, she definitely head a whole plan that was foiled by Chabashira-chan. My guess is that she was going to lure her into the dark room and strangle her or something.._ _

__TOUJOU: You fools! Do you not know what you are doing?_ _

__SHIROGANE: D-do you admit it?_ _

__TOUJOU: I suppose the least I can do is admit defeat. You are making a grave mistake, though._ _

__AKAMATSU: So, to recap..._ _

__MONOKUMA: Finally!_ _

__AKAMATSU: ...The culprit behind this case started working on their plan this morning. They prepared breakfast for all of us and Ouma-kun, the latter spiked with sleeping pills. After we were done, they brought his tea and food back to him. He refused the food but accepted the tea._ _

__AKAMATSU: The culprit continued going about their day, fulfilling their duties. They spent most of their time in the laundry room. They were planning to murder Angie-san, but noticed Chabashira-san entering the art room before them. They decided to pay close attention and wait until she came out._ _

__AKAMATSU: Chabashira-san, convinced of her own guilt, went to the bathroom. That was the chance for the culprit to check on Angie-san. They found her unconscious body. Aware that anyone might come in and Angie-san is close to death, they decided to use the metal hooks on the wall as a surefire way to kill her._ _

__AKAMATSU: They then left the art room. They went to the bathroom and filled a cup with water to create an excuse for being outside. They eavesdropped on the rec room until I opened the door and ran into them._ _

__AKAMATSU: And the culprit who did all that is you, Toujou Kirumi, Super High School Level Maid!_ _

__IRUMA: …_ _

__TOUJOU: You truly are making a grave mistake...but, yes, all of that is true._ _

__MOMOTA: So it really was you... What the fuck!_ _

__MONOKUMA: It's time to vote, you bastards!_ _

__VOTING TIME  
TOUJOU KIRUMI HAS BEEN VOTED GUILTY! _ _

__MONOKUMA: Congrats, you bastards! You got it right again!_ _

__CHABASHIRA: So it really is true..._ _

__SHIROGANE: _(sniffling)_ How could you?? Why?_ _

__TOUJOU: I had to._ _

__HARUKAWA: Huh? You're going to claim it was your duty?_ _

__TOUJOU: Indeed. My plan was born out of obligation. Now that I have been found out, I will never succeed in my final appointment._ _

__MOMOTA: What is that supposed to mean?_ _

__HOSHI: Your appointment required you to kill someone?_ _

__IRUMA: …_ _

__KIIBO: I don't understand..._ _

__TOUJOU: I cannot provide details, but in my envelope I received certain information related to my employer._ _

__HARUKAWA: Information?_ _

__TOUJOU: I cannot share the information with any of you. I burned the contents of the envelope._ _

__SHIROGANE: Th-that's super confidential!_ _

__TOUJOU: I had to be careful._ _

__MOMOTA: I still don't get it. Why the fuck did you have to kill anyone?!_ _

__TOUJOU: I had to make it out of here. My service was needed outside. Many people's fates depend on my assistance and presence._ _

__MOMOTA: So you decided to sacrifice us for the sake of whoever might need you outside? That's still pretty shitty. But...I get it. You were just trying to survive at all costs_ _

__TOUJOU: It is how my duties work. I have to prioritise the wellbeing of those who depend on me outside of the school._ _

__AKAMATSU: Is it true that you thought Angie-san was working with Ouma-kun._ _

__TOUJOU: I was not sure. And I could not keep an eye on him all the time. It was a risk._ _

__AKAMATSU: You didn't consider something. It wasn't Angie-san you should have been wary of. It was me! I visited Ouma-kun and gave him information!_ _

__TOUJOU: I see now that I have miscalculated, but it did not matter in the end._ _

__IRUMA: …_ _

__OUMA: Hey, Iruma-chan, it seems like you have something to say. You're allowed to speak again!_ _

__IRUMA: _(shaking)_ ...No... Hey, I said I'd get you out of here... Why...why did you go and kill someone on your own...? I was really planning..._ _

__TOUJOU: I apologise. I could not depend on you._ _

__IRUMA: Wh...why? I was going to get us out of here eventually...I've been workin'..._ _

__TOUJOU: That is unreliable. Unless we find an exit, the most reliable way to escape is the class trial. It is a risk I was willing to take._ _

__IRUMA: You-you're gonna fuckin' die! A-are you okay with that? Don't fuckin' leave me!_ _

__TOUJOU: I refuse to die here. I will not be executed. I have to escape._ _

__IRUMA: You can't anymore! Wh-what if I...instead..._ _

__MONOKUMA: It's execution tiiiiiiiiiime!_ _

__IRUMA: No!! Give me more fuckin' time!_ _

__TOUJOU: _(running towards Iruma)_ I apologise. I must run. I refuse to die! _(squeezing her hands)__ _

__CHABASHIRA: Run, Toujou-san, run!_ _

__AKAMATSU: Toujou-san-!_ _

__MONOKUMA: Upupu, as if I'll let you get away with it!_ _

__Toujou sprinted away from Iruma's spot through the courtroom, followed by our screams._ _

___EXECUTION TIME_  
TOUJOU KIRUMI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY  
EXECUTION: MAID'S DAY OFF 

__Toujou runs through the hall until she reached a dead end. Monokumas gather around her, all of them with trays of food and cleaning supplies in their paws. They begin cleaning around her and offer her food and drink. She attempts to grab the cleaning supplies off them, but they're holding onto them tightly. She tries to run back where she came from, as the Monokumas follow. Some of them pour coffee on her. Despite the pain, she proceeds. Suddenly, she notices a vine hanging from above in front of her. She starts climbing it, and the Monokumas follow. The thorns dig into her hands and thighs, her skin burn. She thinks she can see the sky above, but as she's about to reach it, the vine breaks above her, sending her back down to her death._ _

__EXECUTION: SUCCESS!_ _

__The group watched the execution in silence. Many looked away or cried at times. Iruma refused to look, hugging her knees._ _

__Akamatsu bit her bottom lip, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene of the execution until the very end. Next to her, Ouma was bawling loudly and whining about missing Toujou, like a little kid lost in a supermarket, looking for his mother. She couldn't help but wonder if he was exaggerating his reaction to hide the fact he was genuinely sad over her death. After all, she did defend him in the past..._ _

__'Maaaaan, I can't believe Toujou-chan is actually dead! Now I will have to do everything myseeeelf,' he whined, tears streaming down his face._ _

__'That's what you're thinking about?! Lazy menace, you will finally contribute something to society!' Tenko scoffed._ _

__'I think he was planty useful today,' Momota muttered, as if to himself._ _

__Ouma immediately stopped crying and turned towards him. 'Hm?' he hummed in confusion, tilting his head. 'Momota-chan what are you talking about?'_ _

__'I kind of hate to admit it, but you saved our asses. I have no idea if we would have voted correctly if not for you. I really didn't wanna believe it. I still don't.'_ _

__'Pffffft, Momota-chan, you're giving me too much credit. Akamatsu-chan would have solved it, maybe. After a long while. Maybe a day. Besides, do you really think I came forward to help you losers? I didn't wanna die, y'know!' Ouma clarified, playing with his hair. 'Plus, it was soooo funny to see Toujou-chan's face.'_ _

__'Whatever you say, buddy,' Momota said, shaking his head. 'I'll let you pretend you didn't care. Man, you really are pure.'_ _

__Ouma's smile dropped. He looked up at Momota with a blank expression. 'Pure?' he asked. 'Nobody’s ever called a liar like me pure before,' he said quietly._ _

__Momota sighed deeply and shook his head. 'Man, I still can't believe Toujou did it. I already couldn't believe Chabashira would do it, and then…'_ _

__Tenko dropped to her knees in front of them, bowing her head apologetically. Her body was shaken by sobs._ _

__'Tenko's so sorry for deceiving you and for her behaviour! She did not mean any harm, but she ended up aiding the murder! For that, and for derailing the trial, she apologises!' she cried out from the floor._ _

__'Hey, Chabashira-san, there's no need to apologise! I understand your feelings,' Akamatsu assured, kneeling down next to her. She gently patted Tenko's shoulder until the other woman wrapped her arms around her, much like she did to Angie upon seeing the painting._ _

__Akamatsu' s heart dropped as she embraced the crying girl, whose violent sobs shook her own body. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Harukawa looking down at Tenko with a blank expression. What was behind it?_ _

__Hoshi stepped towards them. He didn't need to kneel down. 'Chabashira, I don't want to overstep. Is it okay to pat your shoulder? You seem like you need it.'_ _

__'Tenko will allow it, once,' she said, choking on her sobs, 'but only from Hoshi-san and no other man.'_ _

__'Favouritism!' Ouma screamed, as Hoshi gently touched Tenko's shoulder for just a few seconds. 'Hoshi-chan, why don't you pat my shoulder? I'm so very traumatised tooooo…'_ _

__Hoshi glanced up at him with a smirk. Akamatsu always found it a bit surreal to see anyone looking up at Ouma - he was so short, after all…_ _

__'You don't get a pat on the back for almost dying,' Hoshi said, shaking his head. 'You realise your plan was stupid and risky, don't you?' he scolded teasingly._ _

__'It was better than everyone else's plan!' Ouma protested. 'And it worked!'_ _

__Hoshi blinked slowly, as if it had never occurred to him before. 'It sure did,' he said finally. He continued shaking his head. 'But that doesn't make it any less stupid.' He hesitated. Finally, he gently punched Ouma in the side. 'And you didn't have to starve yourself,' he muttered._ _

__Tenko slowly got up from the floor, with Akamatsu's help._ _

__'We should probably get going,' Momota pointed out. 'Iruma's already in the elevator.'_ _

__Everyone looked towards the elevator. Indeed, Iruma had just walked inside. She didn't even look at them._ _

__'We'll need to pay extra attention to her,' Akamatsu said. 'To make sure that…nothing happens again.'_ _

__Nobody responded. Everyone avoided eye contact, looking at the floor or staring off into space._ _

__They walked towards the elevator. Shirogane and Akamatsu were helping Tenko stand up straight. She still seemed to be rather unstable. As Akamatsu noticed, Hoshi kept close to Ouma, as if to make sure he wasn't going to pull another key out of nowhere. She smiled to herself and rolled her eyes._ _

__The elevator ride up was quiet. Iruma was standing away from everyone else, cowering in the corner. A silent agreement made everyone give her space for now. Nobody but Akamatsu seemed aware of the type of relationship she had with Toujou, but they figured that they were close enough for her to take the death pretty badly._ _

__After what felt like an eternity, the elevator door opened. The group stammered out of it into the hall. It was already basically nighttime. The trial was rather long, so it didn't surprise anyone._ _

__Iruma immediately sprinted off towards the dorms, almost tripping on her way. Akamatsu called out to her, but it was futile. She sighed deeply, concerned._ _

__'I completely forgot about something,' Hoshi said suddenly. Everyone looked towards him as he took a piece of paper out of one of his many pockets. 'I went into her room during the investigation,' he stated._ _

__Akamatsu blinked. 'Angie-san's? I didn't even consider doing that because she spent so much time in the art room.'_ _

__'Well, you were mostly right to,' Hoshi remarked, unfolding the paper. 'I didn't find anything that'd be worth showing in the trial. But I did find this…' He showed the paper to the group._ _

__Akamatsu gasped. 'That's Ouma-kun' s drawing!' she exclaimed._ _

__'Aww, Angie-chan really kept it!' Ouma seemed touched._ _

__'I figured I'd get it out of there. Monokuma would lock it away otherwise,' Hoshi explained himself.' And I think I know what we should do with it now.'_ _

__He walked towards the staircase. Everyone except Harukawa followed him there._ _

__He led them into the art room, hesitantly opening the door._ _

__The body was gone, along with the flower crown and the wings. Wherever they took her body, at least they respected her customs…_ _

__Hoshi cautiously walked towards the hook her body was found hanging from. He figured, just then, that he couldn't reach up there. Akamatsu took the drawing out of his hands and hung the drawing up carefully._ _

__To their left, Tenko and Shirogane were hanging up the painting of Amami. To their right, Ouma was sticking his tongue out at Saihara's portrait while Kiibo was trying to hang it up. Then, they hung up the unfinished painting of Gonta._ _

__'Chabashira-san, do you want to…?' Akamatsu asked, glancing back at her._ _

__Tenko froze. She knew exactly what the question entailed, but she wasn't sure of her answer. Finally, without a word, she ran down the stairs. She came back a few minutes later, holding the painting of Yumeno, the one that started it all. She was clutching it desperately._ _

__She looked at it up close one last time, smiled sadly, and hung it up, above the others, standing on her tip toes._ _

__Everyone looked at the effects of their work._ _

__It was clumsy, surely. Some of the paintings were crooked, and the drawing in the middle definitely didn't live up to the quality of the others._ _

__Nevertheless, it was a nice memorial._ _

__In memory of Yonaga Angie, the SHSL Artist. And everyone else who died in the killing game._ _

__Ouma said that he will draw Shinguuji and Toujou, since they don't have a proper representation in the memorial. Nobody had the heart to tell him not to. After all, he was the best artist in the group at the moment._ _

___9 PLAYERS REMAINING_  
CHAPTER END: ON A HOOK, DANGLING.  
RECEIVED GIFT: TOUJOU'S HEADBAND. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, Toujou's birthday was yesterday. I swear that wasn't planned lol
> 
> Second off, isn't this the longest chapter yet? I never expected that it would be, but it IS a 2 and a half murders case.
> 
> I have a lot I want to say about this chapter specifically. First off, Angie and Toujou were some of the most painful cuts in the outline. I feel like Toujou deserved to survive past chapter 2, and Angie deserved to be more relevant. She is very much the emotional core of this story, and Toujou is the stability of the group. With them both gone, we're in for a turn.
> 
> Secondly, a lot of you guessed that Toujou is vaguely suspicious, and some even guessed that she was involved with Saihara's murder and Ouma's poisoning, so congrats! I always thought she'd be a good 'third chapter' killer - she has the gothic grace of Celes and the 'how could someone so caring commit double murder?!' factor of Tsumiki.
> 
> While we're on that - yes, I had my cake and ate it wrt the 'third chapter double murder'. I did ya one better, Kodaka, I spread the double murder out over 2 chapters AND threw an almost murder on top.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm proud of the trial but in a way I feel like I didn't touch on everything I could have. I just hope it was enteratining enough.
> 
> Finally, thank you all for your theories and feedback. Sorry for no comic again but my job has been burning me out. My consistency is a miracle.
> 
> (by the way, are you wondering how different the trial would be if we didn't get the FTE with Angie? I told you guys you have impact!)


	33. Chapter 4: Daily Life 1

Akamatsu woke up in her own bed, temporariy confused about how she got there.

The trial flashed before her eyes. The twists, the turns, all her doubts contrasting with Ouma's confidence. And finally...Toujou's execution.

Until the very end, Akamatsu wanted to believe that it's all a big misuderstanding. That it would turn out Ouma was mistaken, that Touju never planned to hurt anyone, that sommehow, maybe all those accidents were suicides in the end...

Then, she remembered the memorial, put up by most of the group as night fell around them. A spotaneous idea they all understood instinctively and saw to completion. Clumsy and with little artistic merit, but it was their tribute to the nearly half of the group that was no longer able to escape from the school.

Akamatsu sat up on the bed. She must have crashed hard the night before. She still felt somewhat exhausted. That exhaustion pounded in her temples, begging for attention – reminding that,, in many ways, things were going to change.

She quickly brushed her teeth and combed through her hair with her fingers. She had to be ready to work harder than usual. In many ways, she could only rely on herself now.

She left the room and paused in the hall. She glanced at Angie's bedroom.

_Hey, Angie-san...? I don't know if God exists, or how the afterlife works, but I hope you're somewhere safe now. You tried your best to unite the group in your own way. In hindsight, maybe if we tried to work together instead of treating it like a competition, we wouldn't be reduced to half the group right now... I never got to say it when you were alive, but I'm sorry. I'm not sure how much you knew about what was going on, but I know you were probably very conflicted about it all. I should have trusted you more instead of doubting you every step of the way. The sleepover, the performance...they were both, I see now, just attempts to get along with everyone...I'm sorry for being so stubborn. I'll never forget you._

She then looked at Toujou's door. Her hands clenched into fists.

_Toujou-san, I'm not sure how to feel about you now. You were one of the closest friends I made here. I could rely on you, we all could, and perhaps we leaned on you too much. You were always so calm, and responsible, always willing to help and give advice. Maybe you took my last piece of advice to you a bit too far, and decided that your needs are more important than our lives in the end. It terrifies me how effective your plans were, but at the same time I reallise that you just wanted to survive and get out of here at all costs to return to your employer. I don't know how we'll manage without you here, but we'll have to learn, right? I hope you won't come back to haunt me and Ouma-kun, but please watch over us, okay?_

She sighed and headed towards the cafeteria. Near the door, she ran into Shirogane, who seemed to be deep in thought.

'Morning, Shirogane-san!' she greeted, smiling widely. Based on previous experiences, she expected the other woman to take a few minutes to come back to realiy, so she braced herself for it. 

'Ah, morning,' Shirogane said, surprisingly quickly. 'Say, what are we going to do about breakfast? Without Toujou-san, I mean...'

'We'll just have to make our own food,' Akamatsu said matter-of-factly, with a shrug. 'It will take more time and not be as fancy, but it has to be done. Worst case scenario, just make something simple, like buttered toast or cereal. It's just breakfast, you know?'

Shirogane sighed deeply. 'I guess so. That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. There are so many things Toujou-san was doing, that I'm certain others didn't really think about...'

'We'll take turns or something. Let's focus on breakfast now, okay? We can discuss it after we eat,' Akamatsu said softly, entering the cafeteria. Shirogane followed her reluctantly.

Some of the other participants of the killing game were already inside. Akamatsu noticed Ouma pouting at a bowl of cereal, sitting beside Hoshi who was sucking on a candy cigarette with his eyes closed. Tenko had just set a cup of tea down on the table. Over by the counter was...

'You made it,' Harukawa said, noticing Akamatsu and Shirogane. 'Wait your turn,' she added. She was preparing oatmeal with boiled eggs.

'Harukawa-san...' Akamatsu said under her breath. She wasn't that surprised about Harukawa taking over and establishing rules in the kitchen. After all, she was a child caregiver, and knew how risky it might be to coddle everyone. 

What was surprising, however, was the change in her appearance. Specifically, her long, silky hair was gone, now not even reaching her shoulders. She still tied it back for convenience, so it wouldn't get in the way when she was cooking. It was cut neatly, which struck Akamatsu as impressive, considering that she must have used either a knife or paper scissors. Was she used to helping kids cut their own hair.

'Nice haircut,' Akamatsu said, watching her pale hands pick up a bowl. 'It really suits you.'

Harukawa avoided eye contact. Akamatsu could have sworn she blushed, just a bit. 'Thanks. I decided I need a change. Long hair is...inconvenient.'

'Harukawa-chaaan,' Ouma whined, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. 'Why can't you just make food for all of us, this is lame!'

'I'm not your mother, and neither was Toujou. You're old enough to make your own food. Besides,' she added flatly, 'I might not be able to resist the urge to poison you.'

Ouma chuckled into his bowl. 'Harukawa-chan, I see you're a worthy replacement for Toujou-chan already!' he exclaimed, overjoyed, grinning at her. 

Harukawa rolled her eyes, but she didn't seem to actually be irritated. Were these two actually getting along...? They sure seemed to understand each other's sense of humour. In a way, it was a relief.

Akamatsu walked towards the fridge. As she was trying to figure out what to get for breakfast, she heard Momota's voice coming from the doorway.

'Whoa!' he exclaimed, indeed. As far as she could tell from where he was looking, it was a reaction to Harukawa's haircut. She got a bad feeling about that.

'You seem startled, Momota,' Harukawa remarked, disinterested, not even turning towards him.

'Yeah, you look different,' he explained, scratching the back of his head.

'I cut my hair. Before you feel the need to comment, I'll assure you I don't care about your opinion,' she said matter-of-factly before shoving food into her mouth.

Momota stood awkwardly in the middle of the cafeteria. Akamatsu decided to intervene, for everyone's sake.

'Hey, Momota-kun, come pick your breakfast!' she invited, waving at him. 'There's a lot of stuff to choose from.'

'Oh, right. Thanks,' he said, walking towards her. 'So, I guess that's how it's going to be, now that Toujou...'

'Yeah...' Shirogane sighed. She had just made tea and as now holding the cup in her hands, staring down at it sadly. 'I guess, with only half of the group left, it won't be that big of a deal...'

'It's not that hard, guys,' Akamatsu assured, pumping her fist. 'Toujou-san served us with such devotion, because she believed in our potential. Let's do her proud and fulfill that potential, yeah? We can figure everything out. After breakfast, we should probably start with the laundry room.'

'Kiiboy said he's going to take care of that,' Ouma informed, finishing his cereal.

'That makes sense. He was always drawn towards the washing machines,' Akamatsu mused.

'Ouma-san, where are you going?' Tenko asked, watching him carefully.

'Hm? I'm done eating,' he said, tilting his head.

'Wash the bowl before you leave, then!' Tenko insisted, clenching her fists.

Ouma shuddered and his face went pale. 'Oh, no...I can't. No, no, nope. Chabashira-san, everytime I wash the dishes, something...comes out of me. You wouldn't want to see it,' he said, sweating profusely.

'Sounds like bullshit,' Harukawa decided, unimpressed. 'Do the dishes. I will restrain and kill you if you try anything,' she warned, narrowing her eyes at him.

'I can always count on you, Harukawa-chan!' Ouma said, defeated. As he was approaching the sink, an announcement rang out from the speakers.

'Everyone, gather at the gym immediately! If you don't, you will be executed! See you there, upupu!'

Ouma didn't need to do the dishes for now.

***

The entire group minus Iruma had gathered in the gym. Akamatsu looked around nervously. Did something happen to the inventor?

Just as she was about to get really concerned, Iruma sprinted into the gym. The door closed behind her. She was breathing heavily and stood a few feet away from the group.

Akamatsu couldn't keep her eyes off her. It wasn't that Iruma was never paranoid, and she tended to isolate herself from everyone except for a few people. Her current state was the extreme version of that, where she seemed to even avoid Kiibo's company.

Something needed to be done about it, but any wrong move could prove fatal. She needed to be very careful.

Eventually, after a few minutes, Monokuma showed up in front of them. He was grinning as per usual, rubbing his paws together.

'Hello, bastards, can you guess what I got for you?' he asked, bouncing on his feet.

'A new area to explore,' Harukawa said in a hollow voice. 

'That's right! Congratulations on your third successful trial, you lot. I sure am glad you're keeping the game going, I can't wait for the next murder!' he said, cackling.

'There won't be any more murders!' Akamatsu protested. 'We refuse to play the game!'

'Akamatsu-san, do you ever get tired of saying the same things despite your own friends constantly proving you wrong?' Monokuma asked, shaking his head. 'We all know you bastards are as blooodthirsty as you are paranoid. It's a matter of time, upupu~'

'We learned that we have to work together from Angie-san's death,' Akamatsu insisted.

'If we all worked together towards ending the game, Toujou-san might not have felt like she has to escape on her own,' Kiibo mused sadly, playing with the scarf he had wrapped around his neck.

'That's true. We all want to survive, after all. Let's all try to survive together, guys!' Momota called out. 'Maybe we'll find an exist on the new floor!'

'Maybe you will,' Monokuma said, bringing his paw up to his snout. 'I'll just say that if you damage any walls of the school, you will pay with your life! If you find the exit fair and square, you're allowed to leave, but don't go making your own ones! Now go, go and explore!' he ordered before disappearing.

The instant the door opened, Iruma left in a hurry. It seemed like she was going to her room instead of exploring. Akamatsu's eyes followed her out, as did Kiibo's.

CHAPTER 4: LEAP OF FAITH, DO YOU TRUST?

***

As it turned out, the new area was the fourth floor, which turned out to be the topmost floor, leaving only the presumed basement unavailable. In a way, that filled Akamatsu with optimism – the exit must have been on either of the floors. Perhaps they'd find a way to escape onto the roof and then down from there? She had to pay extra attention.

The first room, opposite of the staircase, was a computer room. Kiibo was there, examining the PCs – there was one for every student, but none of them seemed to boot up properly. Akamatsu didn't know that much about computers. Much like science, they were a mystery to her artistic soul. She wished that there were a SHSL Programmer in the group to figure it out. Maybe Iruma would be able to help? Or...

'Hey, Kiibo-kun, you know about computers, don't you?' she asked the robot.

'Hm? No, I'm afraid that I do not know anything more than you,' he said apologetically.

'Oh, I just thought...since you have a computer inside you...'

'Akamatsu-san, do you know everything about the biology of every mammal?' he asked, tilting his head.

'Huh? No...' she admitted, baffled.

'Why do you assume I know about computers, then? My programming, I imagine, is much different from these computers, either way, but I do not know the intricacies of my own design, either.' He paused, looking down. 'I have been thinking lately.'

'About what?' she asked cautiously.

'Akamatsu-san, I notice many things. At times, it takes me a while to process them. It is made all the more confusing by how contradictory human beings can be. As I noticed, you seem to assign certain level of kinship beween me and computers and machines. And yet, if I asked if you feel kinship with other animals, you would be confused. Conversely, I wonder if you would treat me like your classmate if I were designed to be less humanlike.'

'Well...'

'You do not need to answer,' he said, smiling softly. 'I think I might have just realised that I don't want to be a human, even if I had the option to become one. There are certain things I wish I were able to do, like eating. But that is not limited to humans. I suppose I experience them through humans because they created me, and they surround me. I think I see now, after reading some books and listening to all of you, that I just have to be me. The problem is, I don't know who I am...not even where I came from.'

'Kiibo-kun...' Akamatsu whispered.

'Don't worry about me!' he insisted. 'I think I will try to work on these computers, until Iruma-san can come and take a look.'

'Do you think she will be fine? I've been worried...' Akamatsu admitted.

'According to my data,' Kiibo said with a wink, 'Iruma-san will be fine. I know that much about her.'

Akamatsu smiled at him, relieved, and left the room.

The next door over led her to what seemed like the Geography Lab. There were maps all over the walls, mostly showing Japan and Eastern Asia in general.

Looking at them, Akamatsu realised, for the first time, that she had no idea where the school even was in the world the school was. She had assumed it was in Japan, but even then – where in Japan exactly? She walked towards the most detailed map. It showed all the islands off the coast of Japan. If she were to, god forbid, mastermind a game like this, she might have chosen a remote island for it. Were there schools like this one on these islands? She got a sudden vague memory of a book...where a killing game similar to this one happened on an island...and there was a school, wasn't there?

She couldn't remember the title...

Ouma and Hoshi were also in the room, examining the maps.

'Did you find anything interesting?' she asked them hopelessly.

'Not really,' Hoshi said, shaking his head. 'Now I just wonder where we are.'

'Probably on one of the islands,' Ouma said, drawing the outline of Japan on the blackboard. 'If I were the mastermind-'

'I just had the same thought!' Akamatsu exclaimed, interrupting him.

'The school we were accepted into probably was in a bigger city, though. I assume it's not the same one, but how would you pull it off? Kidnapping all of us couldn't have been easy,' Hoshi pointed out.

'It definitely isn't the same school, Hoshi-chan,' Ouma agreed. 'The layout is so weird for a school, and it's too small. It seems like it was designed just for us. Kidnapping isn't hard with an organisation like mine, though!' he insisted. 'I could steal you away whenever and wherever I wanted, Hoshi-chan~'

'I'm sure...' Hoshi muttered, clearing his throat.

'Anywho, if we're on an island, then there's no point in escaping, probably. Whoops! Well, I'll get going,' he announced, leaving the room with his hands resting on the back of his head.

Akamatsu and Hoshi exchanged glances. She followed Ouma outside and continued exploring.

***

The next room over was the teachers' room, with a big table in the middle, presumably for teacher meetings and such. She had no idea what usually went on inside these rooms, only having visited them a few times in her life.

There were also desks framing the room, along with some cabinets. She couldn't open any of them, even with help from Tenko.

'Normally, if we came here, we could ask teachers for help,' she pointed out. Tenko nodded.

'Tenko wonders what happened to the teachers from this school. Do you think they were...disposed of...?' she gulped.

'I'm not even sure if there were ever any teachers here,' Akamatsu whispered, covering her mouth.

'Huh?' Tenko was shocked.

'What if this entire school is fake or something? Or what if it was abandoned years ago?' Akamatsu explained her doubts.

'Tenko didn't think about that...but would it not cost a lot of money to build or renovate an entire school?'

'Yeah, it would be costly...but that just means the mastermind is wealthy or has good connections,' Akamatsu mused, glancing around the room.

She wasn't sure of anything at this point. If only she could remember more about the book...in it, wasn't the government involved? That would make sense, as well. Was the government trying to get rid of them for something they did but don't remember?

'Tenko doesn't know, but it does seem suspicious...' she whispered.

Akamatsu nodded. She needed to find a way to open the desks. It seemed like there would be something important hidden inside.

***

The next room over was the principal's office. It was a rather elegant room, with a nice desk, a soft red carpet in the centre, and multiple cabinets. Like last time, Akamatsu couldn't open them.

'It almost feels like I had to come here because I got in trouble,' Momota joked, scratching the back of his head.

Shirogane went over towards the desk, sat down on the chair and looked at him. 'I'm afraid I must give you detention,' she said solemnly. Akamatsu found herself laughing along with Momota.

'Shirogane-san, I know you're a cosplayer, but this borders on identity theft,' Monokuma said, appearing behind her.

'Kyaaaa-!' Shirogane screamed as she fell off the chair and onto the floor. Her glasses slid off her face, adding insult to injury. Akamatsu picked them up and handed them over to her.

'Monokuma, what the hell are you doing here?' Momota asked, clenching his fists.

'What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is my office!'

'Huh? This is the p-pricipal's...' Shirogane muttered, confused.

'Don't you twerps remember who the principal is?' Monokuma asked, baring his teeth.

'Right, he did call himself that, remember?' Akamatsu remarked. 'So I guess, technically..'

'Not technically! Literally!' Monokuma protested. 'Just so you know, I think I'm going to restrict your access to this office...a bear needs time for himself, too.'

'Huh? You're gonna restrict it, like the cafeteria and the gym?' Momota asked.

'More or less. I will hang a notice on the door when I feel like it. Oh, and,' he added, his red eye glowing, 'if I catch you trying to break into the desks, there will be consequences. They're closed for a reason! Now leave!'

***

The last room in the new area was a storage room. It was rather dark and mostly filled with appliances, as far as she could tell.

Harukawa was looking around the room carefully. It was like she was looking for something. Eventually, she noticed Akamatsu.

'This is an odd area for a storage,' she remarked, as if talking to herself. 'I guess it's in case the principal needs a broom.'

'It's just brooms?' Akamatsu looked around. Indeed, it seemed to be mostly cleaning appliances. The storage was quite a mess, so she couldn't make out everything, and it seemed risky to clean it up now.

'More or less,' Harukawa said vaguely. 'I suppose it's useful for when you're too far away from the warehouse. Might come in handy.'

'I get a weird feeling from this room...' Akamatsu admitted, shuddering.

'It'd make a good place to hide a body,' Harukawa remarked flatly.

'Huh?!' Akamatsu looked at her in shock.

'I wasn't serious. That was a joke Lighten up,' Harukawa said, walking towards the door.

'It's too soon to joke about that!' Akamatsu protested, following her lead.

***

On her way back downstairs, Akamatsu decided to visit the art room. She wanted to take a proper look at the memorial, especially now that it might have been completed by Ouma. 

She entered the art room, slowly opening the door. In a way, it was intimidating to her now. She could have sworn that the scent of blood was still filling the air, suffocating her with a feeling of anxiety and guilt. 

That impression was lessened somewhat when she noticed Ouma in the back, hanging up his new art. He seemed entirely focused, sticking his tongue out for emphasis. Akamatsu couldn't help but feel like he was always acting for an audience - which, she realised immediately, was actually the case, considering all the surveillance cameras around the school. At least one of them was watching her right now. Could the mastermind see her expression, or were they looking at different footage at the moment? 

'Hey, Ouma-kun,' she called out, resisting the urge to look into the camera. 'Got the portraits ready?' she asked, trying to look over his shoulder. 

'Uh-huh,' he hummed, stepping aside. His cloak fluttered a bit. Akamatsu imagined how funny it would be if he stepped on it and tripped. 

She looked at the drawings. She couldn't say that Ouma's cutesy, simplistic style was a good fit for Shinguuji's bizarre sense of fashion, but it definitely didn't look bad. In the piece he had created, Shinguuji and Toujou were standing together, one holding rope and the other a pillow. 

'Do you like it?' he asked, resting his hands on his hips proudly. 'I like the double meaning with the pillow!' he added. 

Akamatsu chuckled. She hadn't thought of that. The context would normally make her want to cry, but Ouma's pride in his work amused her too much. 

'It's great,' she said. 'I bet they're loving it from the afterlife.'

'Tch, hope not,' Ouma muttered, pouting. 'I hope Toujou-chan won't enjoy anything for a bit. It was so mean of her to poison me when I did nothing wrong!' he complained. 

'Well, some would disagree,' Akamatsu said diplomatically. 'Are you really mad about it? I mean, it's not like I don't get it…'

'Maybe. No,' he decided, playing with his hair. 'I'm a forgiving person, generally. That was a lie. I hold grudges forever! I'm a supreme leader, after all.'

'You sure did act like a supreme leader back there,' Akamatsu remarked, remembering the trial. 'Did you really do all that to set Angie-san up?' she asked, glancing at him. 

Ouma hesitated for just a moment. 'Yeah, duh. I couldn't just stick my own neck out. Angie-chan had to take the fall. Whoopsie!' he said with a shrug. 

'I don't believe you would just do that. You got along with her, didn't you? Besides, I think Toujou-san was onto Angie-san anyway, ever since she defended you. I also thought about it, and Angie-san might have noticed Toujou-san' s murderous intent one morning when the three of us visited Saihara-kun. I felt uneasy there too…'

'Akamatsu-chan,' Ouma said in a condescending tone, 'your problem is that for some reason you need to believe I'm a decent person, and you find every way to justify it. I'm not! I'm an evil supreme leader. If I'm helping you, it's for my own gain. Though,' he added, scratching his head, 'I think that Toujou-chan was up to something, but I gave her the final push she needed. Nishishi~' he chuckled, grinning at her. 'Hey, wanna watch Hoshi-chan murder someone?' he asked suddenly. 

'Huh, what?' Akamatsu blinked in confusion. 'Another murder?' 

Ouma snorted. 'Not literally, dummy! C'mon, he's going to obliterate loser Momota-chan in tennis, let's come watch! They should start soon!' he begged, dragging her out of the room. 

Akamatsu was getting more confused by the minute. 

***

Hoshi Ryouma opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He was trying to mentally prepare for quite a challenge. He still couldn't believe he agreed to it. Even more bafflingly, he was the one who proposed it himself. 

'Momota, are you sure?' he asked, stretching his arms. 

'Hell yeah!' Momota yelled back from the other side of the court. He was flexing with a goofy expression, smiling at Hoshi. 

'Your determination really is amazing,' Hoshi admitted, shaking his head slightly. 'What the hell, I think it may be contagious. I'm getting fired up.'

'Of course you are! You fuckin' love tennis!' Momota insisted, giving him a thumbs up. 

That was when Ouma ran into the gym, dragging reluctant Akamatsu behind him by the hand. Behind them, Chabashira, Shirogane and Harukawa entered the gym more calmly. 

'See, I told you that Hoshi-chan is about to wipe the floor with Momota-chan!' Ouma remarked happily, pointing his finger towards the court. 

'It seems like we have an audience,' Momota said, satisfied. 'I'm getting even more fired up!' 

'None of us are cheering for you,' Tenko informed. 'We are here to watch Hoshi-san.'

'W-well,' Shirogane clarified, 'it's not like I want you to get hurt, but it's pretty obvious who's going to win…'

'I think you guys should consider cheering for the underdog every once in a while,' Hoshi remarked, shaking his head slightly. He was quite happy to receive so much support, but he was never going to admit it. 

Ouma and the others sat by the net, in the perfect spot to watch the game - right in the middle, but far enough from the court itself as to not get hurt. 

'Destroy him, Hoshi-chaaaaan!' Ouma cried out cheerfully. Akamatsu held him down. 

Hoshi looked ahead. Momota nodded at him, indicating that he's ready. Hoshi took a deep breath and threw the ball upwards. 

_Thwap!_

The ball flew right past Momota and hit the floor. He didn't even get to swing at it. He stared after it with indescribable terror. 

'What the-' he blurted out, watching the ball bounce off the wall. 

Hoshi straightened his back. In that moment, he was starting to feel tall. 

'You told me not to hold back,' he explained sheepishly. 'Try to swing next time.'

Momota threw the ball back at him and immediately planted his feet firmly on the ground. He gripped the racquet firmly and watched Hoshi's movements carefully. 

Hoshi smirked. He was happy to see that Momota realised that he needs to take it seriously. He still had no intention of going easy on him. 

Ball high in the air… 

_Thwap!_

Momota took a swing and just barely missed. 

Gasps from the audience. 

Hoshi felt a sense of euphoria filling his body. Out of the voices cheering him on, Ouma's was the loudest. It made him want to try even harder. 

'Nice job, Momota. We'll keep trying,' he said, trying not to smile. 

They tried about eighteen more times. Momota managed to swing everytime, but only hit the ball into the net three times. 

'You've done well,' Hoshi said benevolently. 

Momota was wheezing on his knees, red in the face, sweat dripping from his forehead. Despite that, he was still smiling. 

'That was amazing!' Shirogane exclaimed. 'Although it would be even more impressive against a more experienced opponent…'

'Momota-kun is quite fit. Out of us all, he's probably the fairest opponent for Hoshi-kun,' Akamatsu pointed out. 'Unless Chabashira-san wanted go try.'

'Tenko is not interested in such activities,' she said, shaking her head. 'Neo aikido is much different from such sports.'

'I give!' Momota announced weakly, setting the racquet down on the ground. 

'Hoshi-chan is amazing!' Ouma exclaimed, running up to him, his eyes sparkling with awe.

Hoshi felt his face getting warmer as an involuntary smile formed on his lips. He took in the praise from the enthusiastic supreme leader. Everyone else seemed amazed as well, but he couldn't clearly hear what they were saying. 

It was almost embarrassing to stand there with blush spreading under his skin while everyone watched. 

Momota got up from the floor, dusted himself off, and laughed. It was clear that he couldn't even be mad about the result. He did insist on Hoshi using his full potential, after all. 

Ouma, still gushing, picked Hoshi up, startling him in the process. His face felt even warmer. He stifled laughter, rolling his eyes instead. As he noticed, Momota was scratching the back of his head and Akamatsu sent him a supportive smile. 

'Ouma, put me down,' Hoshi said, trying to stay calm. He pulled his hat over his eyes. 

Ouma seemed to suddenly realise that his affection was dangerously genuine. His smile dropped, and he set Hoshi down. He then walked towards Momota. 

'Momota-chan, how does it feel to be such a big loser?' he teased, rocking back and forth on his feet. He's compensating for being nice to someone, Hoshi figured, trying not to audibly chuckle. 

Momota looked down at Ouma, seemingly immune to the teasing. He ruffled Ouma's hair and walked towards Hoshi. 'Losing to this guy is no shame at all. He's too damn good. Hey, Ryouma, we should try again sometime. I haven't seen you this happy, ever!' 

Hoshi didn't answer. He was looking at the racquet in his hand. He missed this feeling, that was for sure. Perhaps it was time to let go of his past for good. Maybe it didn't matter anymore. 

At the very least, it didn't make tennis any less enjoyable after all this time. 

'Sure,' he said simply. The others surrounded him with words of praise, but he tried to remain humble. 

It was stupid to try to impress anyone, anyway. 

Ouma's eyes briefly met his before he left the gym, followed by everyone else. 

Hoshi was left wondering whether he should tell what's on his mind or not. What, specifically, he'd been hiding deep in his heart where nobody could see. 

He bit his bottom lip. Not today. 

***

Akamatsu headed out of the gym and went to the cafeteria. She wanted to make sure that everything was alright there. 

Nobody was there at the moment. She figured that Hoshi and Momota probably needed to rest, and the others probably had better things to do. 

She decided to make tea and grab a box of cookies. She didn't feel like making anything fancy. Maybe if she were to share it with someone… 

Harukawa entered the cafeteria. She momentarily froze upon noticing Akamatsu, but quickly continued walking. She waited for Akamatsu to finish pouring her tea before preparing her own. Akamatsu was still mildly intimidated by her silence.

'It sure is quiet around here,' she said to break the ice. Harukawa glanced at her. 

'Are you trying to make small talk? Because I'm not going to play along. The reason why it's so quiet is that half of us are dead.'

Akamatsu sensed hostility in her voice. Maybe it was just an impression? 'It's Monokuma’s fault! We started distrusting each other and-' 

'Spare me,' Harukawa interrupted, shaking her head. 'I guarantee we'd still find reasons to kill each other even if Monokuma wasn't there. Do you think everyone trusted each other before Monokuma said we're in a killing game? Please.'

'I still think we'd have gotten out of here together already if not for the motives!' Akamatsu insisted. 'And if we trusted each other more…' she added, feeling a twinge of guilt. 

'You trusted Toujou and that didn't do you any good. Do you trust me?' she asked suddenly, looking into Akamatsu’s eyes. 

'Huh?' Akamatsu was startled. 'Of course!' she said with conviction. 

'You're lying. I can tell. I'm not holding it against you. I think it's a smarter call than most of the other ones you made,' Harukawa said flatly, taking a sip of her tea. 

'It was also a good call to trust Ouma-kun!' Akamatsu insisted. 'And I don't regret trusting Amami-kun and Toujou-san and everyone else. It's better to trust than to doubt.'

'You and I both know that that isn't true. What's the point of lying to yourself like this? You will only get yourself and others hurt,' Harukawa remarked, washing her cup carefully. 

'Sometimes lies are what you need to keep yourself going,' Akamatsu said quietly. 'Sometimes, you have to fake it till you make it. Sometimes, you just…have to keep faking it.'

'You really have been around Ouma too much,' Harukawa said, shaking her head. The hostility was gone from her voice. 'You're annoying, but I guess we need people like you in our situation.'

Having said that, she left.

Akamatsu, deep in thought, went to the dorms. She didn't go to her own room, though - she stopped in front of Iruma's door. Without hesitation, she pressed the doorbell. 

She waited about a minute before pressing it again. 

Iruma opened the door just enough to see her. 'Bakamatsu, what the fuck do you need? Did you come to k-kill me?' her voice cracked audibly. 

'What? No,' Akamatsu protested. 'I came to make sure you're okay,' she clarified calmly.

'I'm the fuckin' best, now leave me alone!' Iruma said, irritated, before slamming the door. 

Akamatsu sighed. She wasn't ready yet. There was always tomorrow to try again. 

***

Akamatsu' s legs carried her to the music room. The piano was calling out to her, begging to be played. 

She couldn't say no to that. 

She sat down in front of the instrument and gently touched the keys, closing her eyes. Breathe in, breathe out. 

As soon as she started playing, the same image as last time manifested in her mind's eye. It was as if the clay sculptures had come to life and were taking in her music. 

Now her imaginary audience was bigger. The seat next to Shinguuji was now taken by Angie, wearing the flower criwn and wings, who was listening carefully to the music, until eventually her eyes, previously watching every move, closed. Did she fall asleep, or was she just so focused on the music? Akamatsu couldn't tell. All she knew for sure was that Angie's smile made her feel warm inside. 

Next to Angie was Toujou, her face serious and focused. Akamatsu assumed that she was preparing a few words of advice to share after the concert to help her reach her full musical potential. At the very least, she was giving the concert her full attention. 

When Akamatsu opened her eyes, it was already nighttime. She lost track of her surroundings when she played for her fallen friends. She almost didn't want to leave and go to sleep. She just wanted to play, and forget… 

But she couldn't. She had to think of a way to get out of the school, now more than ever. 

She left the room and made her way towards the dorms. She ran into Shirogane, who was on her way there as well. 

'Good evening, Akamatsu-san,' she said, looking at her curiously. 'I don't think I've seen you up this late, ever!' 

'I was playing the piano for our dead friends,' she said, not thinking through the implications. 

'For the d-dead? Akamatsu-san, can you…s-see dead people?' Shirogane asked, her eyes wide with both fear and awe. 

'What? Haha, no,' Akamatsu said awkwardly, knowing that was partially a lie. 'It was more symbolic, you know? Hoping they can hear it in the afterlife and stuff…I know it's silly…' she trailed off. 

'Oh.' Shirogane sounded disappointed. 'Well, I'm sure they're able to hear it! They're probably watching over us. They have unfinished business with the mastermind after all.'

'You think…?' Akamatsu felt herself shuddering. 'I didn't consider that they'd haunt the mastermind. How does that even work?' 

'Well, that depends on the lore,' Shirogane explained. 'It varies from author to author.'

'I was talking about real life…' Akamatsu corrected patiently. 

'Oh. I wouldn't know anything about that. We'll have to wait and see if we notice anything suggesting this school is h-haunted.' She gulped. 

'I'm sure if anyone's haunting the mastermind, it's Shinguuji-kun's sister. If she really died here,' Akamatsu clarified quickly. 

'That's true. I will keep looking for anything supernatural!' Shirogane assured, entering her dorm. 'Goodnight, Akamatsu-san! I hope nothing will haunt you tonight!' she said before closing the door. 

Akamatsu shuddered, subconsciously looking at Iruma's door upon hearing those words. 

She too hoped that nothing would haunt her tonight. Neither any spirits nor a sense of guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/578269217829289995/unknown.png <\- mappy map of this floor!
> 
> By the by, we're now officially way post the halfway point of the story...have your faves made it so far? Have you been having a good time? Thanks for the support!


	34. Chapter 4: Daily Life 2

Akamatsu woke up and immediately sat up on her bed, breathing heavily. She felt like she had just woken up from a nightmare, but couldn't remember what it was. The morning announcement must have snapped her out of it. In a way, she was grateful, but a part of her was wondering what the dream was about.

Now, it was time to face the actual nightmare that was the killing game. Whatever her bad dream was about, at least it disappeared th instant she opened her eyes. The same could not be said for the reality that was awaiting her outiside the door.

Despite all that, she was filled with determination. No matter what, she had to make every day count – keep her eyes peeled, listen carefully, talk to everyone and try to determine the identity of the mastermind. It still felt like she was entirely in the dark after her suspicion of Angie led her nowhere.

As she was brushing her hair, she entertained various possibilities, but all of them seemed equally absurd. These people were her friends. None of them could be the mastermind or working for them, right?

Her mind got stuck on Toujou. She couldn't help but wonder who her employer was. It seemed obvious that they were powerful, and it was reasonable to assume that the mastermind was as well. It wasn't impossible...but then, would the mastermind let her be executed? As always, she was stuck ont that question. She couldn't comprehend what the mastermind was thinking when making certain decisions.

If she could, she would know why Saihara was knocked out all that time ago. She was sure that it wasn't Toujou's doing.

She took a deep breath and left the dorm. It was time to face the day.

Akamatsu entered the cafeteria and immediately noticed a strange sight that made her pause in her tracks. 

'Kiibo-kun?' 

Kiibo turned towards her, as he was standing by the sink, wearing an ill-fitting apron. Where could he possibly have gotten it? Did someone make it, or did he find it? As she was wondering about that, he smiled at her with determination. 

'Good morning, Akamatsu-san!' he greeted, waving at her. 'How are you today?' 

'I'm…fine,' Akamatsu said awkwardly. 'What are you doing here, Kiibo-kun? I've never seen you here at this hour. And…the apron?' She looked down at it as she spoke. 

'Shirogane-san made it for me when she heard that I want to try working in the kitchen!' he explained cheerfully. 

'Isn't it cute?' Shirogane said, appearing next to them seemingly out of nowhere. 'It was hard to fit it properly. I'm not used to preparing clothing for metal instead of flesh.'

'I can imagine,' Akamatsu said, nodding impatiently. 'But, Kiibo-kun, hold on a second. You want to work in the kitchen? How exactly? Are you going to prepare our food or…?' 

'I will do whatever needs to be done!' he assured, resting his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest - as much as was possible for a robot. 'Toujou-san taught me a lot about certain things, and if there is anything more I need to learn, I can do it! I'm a fast learner!'

'Oh!' Akamatsu's eyes widened. 'Well, we kind of decided that everyone will make their own breakfast now that Toujou-san is gone…' she paused, hit with a sudden realisation. Maybe Kiibo was coping with Toujou’s death by putting everything she taught him to a use? Perhaps it was a good way to keep her memory alive. He did seem pretty excited about being involved like that. He couldn't make his own breakfast, right? Robots don't eat. So, he could at least help the others somehow. 'Kiibo-kun, this is a great idea,' she said enthusiastically, 'you could watch us and maybe learn something more, and you could help if someone needs it. Maybe you could try drying the dishes too, if you want!' 

'I can do anything! I'd love to try whatever there is to try. Toujou-san would be proud of me, wouldn't she?' he asked, looking down at his feet. 

Akamatsu rested her hand on his shoulder and smiled supportively. 'I'm sure of it. Toujou-san once told me that everyone in our group is filled with potential. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you expanding your horizons like that and stuff!' she assured him. 

Kiibo smiled back at her. For a moment, she forgot that he was a robot. Perhaps he was right earlier - he didn't need to be more human, he just needed to be the best version of himself. Technology truly is amazing, she thought. And Kiibo was amazing for many reasons. 

Akamatsu grabbed a cup of tea and two pieces of buttered toast and took a seat. The cafeteria was filled with small talk from all sides, but Akamatsu's thoughts were wandering somewhere else entirely. She couldn't shake the feeling that some things needed to be discussed instead of staying bottled up inside her. 

'Hey, guys, I have an announcement to make,' Akamatsu spoke suddenly, standing up. Everyone looked up at her in anticipation. Most of them were just about done with breakfast, and probably expected to be leaving the cafeteria soon. Kiibo turned towards her, leaning over the counter. 'There's some stuff I think we should discuss right, since most of us are here.'

'Except for Iruma-chan,' Ouma pointed out emphatically, drinking the milk remaining in his cereal bowl. Akamatsu almost expected him to spill it onto his scarf. 

'That's one of the things I wanted to talk about,' Akamatsu said, pointing at him. 'What should we do about Iruma-san?' 

'We can't leave her all alone, that's for sure,' Momota pointed out, scratching his goatee. 

'No?' Harukawa asked, glancing at him. 'Why is that?' 

'I definitely won't let her stay all alone forever, but I was thinking…' Akamatsu paused. 'I went to check on her yesterday and she told me to go away. I don't know if I should try again already or give it time or something…I'm asking you guys what you think because I don't want another situation like Yumeno-san's...' she said softly, glancing at Tenko, who noticeably tensed up and took a deep breath. 

'Hmmm...if we keep trying she might do something stupid, like attack the next person that bothers her. But she might also see that nobody's trying to kill her if we're persistent enough. It's hard to tell with her,' Hoshi mused. 

'We should just let her marinate in her own shit like the rotten bitch she is, ' Ouma proposed cheerfully, cracking his knuckles. 

'How dare you talk this way about Iruma-san!' Kiibo scolded, pointing his finger at him. The finger was shaking ever so slightly. 

'Kiiboy, you know as well as I do that that was a high compliment by Iruma-chan' s standards,' Ouma pointed out, smirking. Beside him, Hoshi rolled his eyes, covering his mouth. 

'You may just be correct about that,' Kiibo admitted, his finger dropping. Nobody could pretend that Iruma wouldn't love hearing such a remark. 

'I don't see why this needs to be a group decision. If someone wants to reason with her, let them, but it's nobody else's business,' Harukawa said, looking down at her hands, resting in her lap. 'I don't think it was a group effort when I decided to stay in my room for the first week after we got here. And I will assure you that I would be annoyed if all of you insisted on invading my space because you think that not wanting to socialize with you is inherently a bad sign.'

Akamatsu bit her bottom lip. With the way Harukawa said all that, she couldn't tell for sure if she sincerely liked being left alone, or she would have appreciated more attention back in the early days of the killing game. Was her attitude back then a cry for help, a veiled invitation? Tenko seemed to have been wondering the same thing, looking at Harukawa with concern and certain tenderness. 

'I think that it is worrisome in Iruma-san's case,' Akamatsu argued, setting her hands down on the table. 'She's isolated herself before, sure, but never to this degree. I think she literally doesn't talk to anyone anymore. And I believe that…she needs support after what happened with Toujou-san. They were close, and then Toujou-san did what she did. And,' she added, clenching her fists, 'why would it not be a group effort? We are all friends here, you know!' 

Harukawa looked at her in silence. 'Do as you wish, but don't involve me,' she said finally, after a long pause. 'I refuse to share responsibility if one of you fools gets hurt, so just do whatever you feel and don't drag me into it.'

'You know what, that won't do,' Momota said, standing up. 'We have to do something, and if nobody else wants to, I will!' he added, putting his fist up to his chest. 

'Oh, my hero,' Harukawa said mockingly, rolling her eyes. Ouma giggled into his hand. 

'Momota-chan, maybe Iruma-chan will maul you like a feral animal when you come in! I'd love to see that, so bring me along to watch,' Ouma said through his hysterical giggles. 'Then we'd be rid of both of you for good!' 

'Hey!' Momota whined, taken aback. He seemed genuinely shocked at the idea. 

'Tenko thinks she should go instead. Iruma-san might be more comforted by the presence of another girl, instead of a menace with short temper like Momota-san!' 

'All of you are being so mean!' Momota complained. 'Fine, anyone can go if they want to. I was just volunteering,' he said, sitting down. Shirogane patted him gently on the back in support. 

'Akamatsu-san, I think this issue is settled for now,' she then said. 'What is the other thing you wanted to talk about? There was something else, right?' 

'Did anybody else feel weird up there on the fourth floor?' Akamatsu asked, fiddling with her fingers. 'I got a weird vibe from it, and I've been wondering if it's just me.'

'Now that you mention it, I've been thinking…' Shirogane said, hugging herself. Her hands were shaking. 'Monokuma took over the principal's office, r-right? You saw it too… That made me wonder what happened to the real principal of this school…and the teachers… They had to exist, right? What could have happened to them? S-so I was thinking that m-maybe the vibe is there b-because…they're all haunting the floor…'

'Supernatural phenomena seem to be your explanation for everything,' Harukawa pointed out, rubbing her temples. 

'I-it's just an idea…' Shirogane said defensively, shaking more. 

'Ghost or no ghost,' Momota said diplomatically, having cleared his throat to cover up a voice crack, 'there is something weird up there for sure. For starters, it's the last floor and the exit is still nowhere to be found. That's seriously messing with me.'

'Technically, we still have not gotten access to the floor below this one. Perhaps that is where the exit is located,' Kiibo mused, tapping his chin. 

'There seems to be no other possibility. It's definitely Monokuma’s brand of cruelty towards us,' Tenko remarked bitterly. 

'Maybe there is no exit,' Shirogane said suddenly, her face turning pale as she gasped. 

'How would we get inside, idiot?' Harukawa asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. 'There needs to be some sort of an entrance. It might just be hidden from us. No, there's absolutely nothing supernatural about it.'

'There might be no exit if…maybe, we're all dead already, and this is our hell,' Shirogane insisted, her hands shaking in front of her face. 

'What…?' Harukawa narrowed her eyes at her. She seemed to hardly be able to believe what she was hearing. Akamatsu could relate to that. 

'It sure feels like hell, being stuck with all you losers,' Ouma remarked, looking at his fingernails. 

'That sounds more like something Iruma would say,' Momota pointed out, shaking his head. 

'I knowwww,' Ouma said, his eyes filling with tears immediately. 'I just miss her so very muuuuuch, I need to pretend that she's here to stay sane. The rest of you are so booooring.'

'I don't think we can ever know how you feel about anybody,' Momota said, sighing deeply. 

Hoshi smirked, rolling his eyes, as if to say it's easy if you try. Akamatsu could agree with that. At this point, she thought she could read Ouma pretty well. 

'Anyway,the atmosphere is definitely off, but there are more things that are strange there,' Akamatsu said in an attempt to get the conversation back on track. 

'What do you mean, exactly?' Shirogane asked, tilting her head. 

'Well, what I meant was, that even though we got access to so many new rooms, most of them have stuff locked away from us,' Akamatsu clarified. 'Like the computers. They're not working properly. Is anyone good with technology here?' 

'I tried to figure out how to fix them, but sadly I don't have any idea,' Kiibo said apologetically. 'Unfortunately, I am absolutely hopeless with computers.'

'Kiiboy isn't good at anything!' Ouma exclaimed cheerfully. 

'Ouma-kun, are you good with computers?' Akamatsu asked immediately, turning towards him. 

'Hm? I could take a look later,' he said vaguely, resting his hands behind his head. 'But I think Iruma-chan is your best bet here, which is kind of sad, really.'

'What are you hoping to find on the computer, anyway, Akamatsu?' Harukawa asked, narrowing her eyes at her. Akamatsu felt a chill running down her spine. 

'I dunno. It just seems suspicious to me that Monokuma would just leave them there without putting anything important on them, expecting us to try and crack the code. Same for the desks in the teachers' room and the entire deal with the principal's office. I just won't believe there's nothing there,' Akamatsu insisted, shaking her head. 

'If I know anything about Monokuma, there's probably nothing there,' Harukawa pointed out calmly. 'Don't you think so? It makes more sense to me, all things considered.' 

'Huh?' Akamatsu was baffled. 

'If there's nothing there but you spend hours and hours trying to crack the code, Monokuma will have the satisfaction of having wasted sooooo much of your time for nothing. It's a really good prank, it works everytime!' Ouma explained, giggling. 'It seems right up Monokuma’s alley.'

'But what if there's actually something there, but Monokuma was hoping we'd give up on trying to find it, deciding it's probably nothing?' Kiibo suggested suddenly. 

'H-how many layers of reverse psychology are we on?!' Shirogane cried out, overwhelmed, rubbing her temples. Harukawa glanced at her and sighed. 

'The only way to find out what's the truth is to check it out!' Momota said, bumping his fists together. 'Even if it takes ages, we won't know until we try to turn the computers on. And even if it turns out nothing is there, at least we tried, right? There's nothing wrong with that. At least we'd be doing something.' 

'You really have too much time on your hands,' Harukawa remarked, irritated. 'I think for now we're stuck anyway unless someone here is a closet computer whiz. I know I'm not. The orphanage didn't have any computers,' she added. Akamatsu couldn't help but feel like there was a certain sadness in her voice everytime she mentioned the orphanage. 

'That sounds like absolute hell! How did you survive there, Harukawa-chan?!' Ouma exclaimed, terrified, covering his face. Harukawa narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything. Akamatsu got the impression that she really wanted to, but couldn't for some reason. What was the connection between these two? 

'There's no rush, right? We can figure it out together,' Momota suggested. 'Until Iruma decides to join us and work her magic.'

'We don't even know if she can fix it,' Harukawa pointed out. 'While we're at itz, I wonder if the desks contain any information, though. They're in plain sight, but we aren't allowed to break into them. It almost seems like a trap, too.'

'I think we should just avoid touching anything there…b-but that's just my opinion,' Shirogane said nervously. 

'Laaaame,' Ouma said. 

'I think it's smart not to touch anything for now, unless we find a way to do it without Monokuma noticing, if that's even possible with him claiming the office,' Hoshi remarked. 

'Is that all you wanted to say, Akamatsu-san?' Tenko asked, looking up at her. 

'More or less, unless somebody noticed something I didn't,' Akamatsu said vaguely. She decided to keep the observation about maps and the location of the school to herself right now. She thought that she may have told too many people to begin with. 'Anybody?' 

Everyone seemed to be fine for now, glancing around and shaking their heads. Akamatsu's eyes met those of several others, but nobody seemed to be willing to say anything more. Perhaps, just like her, they had things they wanted to keep to themselves. 

'Alright then, the meeting is over,' she said with an awkward smile, and headed towards the sink. Doing her dishes everyday was starting to shape up into a part of her morning routine. Kiibo watched her movements curiously from a distance. 

As Akamatsu was leaving the cafeteria soon after, having washed her dishes, she heard a piece of dialogue that made her heart stop for just a moment, even though it wasn't all that serious on the surface. 

'Kiiboy, you're in a really bad position in this game, aren't you?' Ouma asked, innocently bouncing on his feet, watching the robot dry some plates, as if he was just making small talk. 

'Why do you say that?' Kiibo asked cautiously, putting a plate away. He didn't pick up another one, just in case Ouma was about to prank him into cracking it. 

'I mean, anyone here can kill you and we don't know how hard it would be to determine who did it, but you can't kill any of us anyway since you're a robot!' Ouma explained cheerfully. 'Do you think you would die if I poured water on you?' 

Kiibo looked at him confused. 'Wha…? Ouma-kun, I don't think I can be killed,why would you ask that?! Do I even count as a living being? I do not think so, although I am conscious. ' 

Ouma tilted his head, pouting slightly. 'Why not? You're a part of the killing game, aren't you? There must be a way to destroy you, or including you would be pretty pointless, yeah? Hey, do you think it's possible you can snap and kill someone?'

'Ouma-kun! Why must we talk about my destruction?! I'm not entirely comfortable with that topic!' Kiibo protested, distressed. 'I would never kill anyone either! I'm peaceful! What are you trying to achieve?' 

'Nishishi, I was just making small talk. You're so sensitive, Kiiboy! I'm much easier to destroy than you, but am I complaining?' Ouma pointed out, grinning at him. 'I'm not trying to achieve anything, just asking, promise!' 

Akamatsu didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but it put a lot of new questions in her head, questions about Kiibo, questions about the killing game. She was going to have to ask some of them…

But first, she was going to go to the gatchapon machine. No matter what, a trip to the school store always made her feel somewhat optimistic. At least, even in this hellish school, she could still drop by and get some gifts for her friends. There was something for everyone. 

She went to the vending machine first, and got a bottle of water. It could come in handy if she wandered onto the top floors and needed to hydrate. Or, perhaps, if someone got dizzy or nauseous and needed water as well, like Ouma did during the investigation… 

Then, she turned towards the gatchapon, rubbing her hands together. 

It was time to get some gifts for everyone, and then - to hang out with some people. Perhaps some of her questions would be answered, or some of her bonds strengthened. Building trust was important, especially now that the group had been halved. 

Now then, who should she talk to today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.strawpoll.me/18012062 <\--- FTE POLL, TWO VOTES MAXIMUM!  
> Iruma is unavailable now but might be next vote~  
> Reminder that Tenko and Shirogane haven't had a single FTE, just saying
> 
> Sidenote, thank you guys for being so sweet lately, ily all!


	35. Chapter 4: Daily Life 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all really came through with the votes, guys! Tenko got so many that I made sure to give her a really big one. Hoshi and Ouma were toe to toe for most of the time so Hoshi gets one now and Ouma gets on next week. That sounds fair

Akamatsu made her way upstairs. She stopped by the tree on the second floor. There, she found Tenko – one of the people she's been meaning to talk to. She was sitting on the bench, looking down at her hand. She looked like a painting – Akamatsu wished that Angie was still there and could actually immortalize this image.

'Hey, Chabashira-san, do you have a moment?' she asked, approaching the bench.

'Of course! Did something happen? Does Tenko need to beat someone up for you? Just say the word!' Tenko offered, standing up. She was getting fired up already, huh? 'If you have a problem with any menaces in the group, Tenko can squeeze their necks like a snake coiling around a mouse!'

'N-no, no! It's nothing like that!' Akamatsu protested, waving her hands defensively. 'Woldn't that kill them? Please don't! I just wanted to talk!'

'Alright,' Tenko said dejectedly, relaxing her muscles. She sat back down on the bench, and gestured at Akamatsu to do the same. 'Tenko just assumed that something was wrong, because Ouma-san has been bothering you lately, and Tenko doesn't trust Momota-san either.'

'I promise it's fine. I can handle everything myself if need be,' Akamatsu assured. 'I brought you something,' she added, taking a spell book out of her backpack. 'I thought you''d like it.'

Tenko took the book out of her hands, glanced at the cover, and hugged it against her chest. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and tears.

'Thank you, Akamatsu-san!' she exclaimed. 'Tenko will treasure it!'

'Kind of on topic,' Akamatsu said slowly, 'I'm not sure if it's okay to ask about this, so you don't have to answer, but...why did you like Yumeno-san so much?'

Tenko went silent, looking down at the book. She stroked the cover with her finger and hummed, blushing slightly. 'Tenko liked Yumeno-san because, um, well...' she trailed off, fiddling her thumbs. 

'You don't have to tell me!' Akamatsu assured, waving her hands.

'No, n-no, Tenko will say, it's just- It's hard to put into words, is all,' Tenko said, smiling awkwardly. 'Tenko liked Yumeno-san so much because...she admired...'

'Yeah?' Akamatsu encouraged, rubbing her back. 'Is it about the magic stuff? You admired her magic?'

'...performers. Tenko admires performers of all kinds! And Yumeno-san performed magic for everyone! Tenko kind of wanted to be like that too,' she admitted, looking down in embarrassment. There was a goofy smile on her blushing face.

'I see,' Akamatsu said softly, stroking her shoulder. 'Well, you can perform too, can't you!'

'Tenko can't do magic, though, and she isn't nearly cute enough!' she protested, shaking her head.

'I've said this before, but you're really cute to me, Chabashira-san! You're really charming, too. Besides,' she added, smiling encouragingly, 'you can perform your neo-aikido, can't you? Do your own thing! There are many types of performers. I am one too, technically, with my piano.'

'Ooooooooh, an aikido performer. Tenko never thought of that!' she exclaimed in awe, eyeing Akamatsu. 'This way, Tenko could help neo-aikido get more exposure!'

'Exactly! I'm sure people will love your performance!' Akamatsu assured. 'You're lovely and your moves are really impressive. I'm sure everyone will get into neo-aikido this way.'

'You've given Tenko a whole new perspective on this. For that, she owes you her eternal gratitude,' she said sincerely, looking down at the book. There was a certain sadness in her yes, behind the enthusiasm she expressed for the idea. 'Once we leave the school, Tenko will do just what you advised,' she added, but didn't sound hopeful at all.

'Chabashira-san, are you okay?' Akamatsu asked. Seeing Tenko, normally full of energy, deflate like that so suddenly was definitely concerning.

'Tenko is just thinking. She chose to rest here because Angie-san loved the tree so much,' she explained, stroking the leaves. 'And she still feels...so sorry about what happened...'

'Hey, hey. Nobody's blaming you for what happened,' Akamatsu said gently. 'I know I'm not.'

'You should, Akamatsu-san! Tenko let her lowest impulses dictate her actions. It was not justice, it was jealousy and revenge that motivated her. That's unforgivable,' she insisted.

'Chabashira-san, you already apologised and we forgave you,' Akamatsu pointed out. 'No need to beat yourself up over it anymore. Toujou-san was planning to kill her anyway, and she was set in that decision. We could have stopped her if we knew, but we didn't. Don't worry. None of us are saints, either. I was unfair towards Angie-san and Ouma-kun used her as bait. We're all just trying to survive. The moral is that we have to work together instead of doubting each other!'

Tenko took a deep breath. Akamatsu waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts.

'Tenko knows all that, but...it's hard to shake that feeling so soon. Ouma-san might be over his involvement already, because he has no morals. Tenko is not like that.'

'I think he feels bad, too, actually. He just doesn't want us to know that,'Akamatsu said with confidence.

Tenko shuddered. 'Tenko doubts that,' she said bitterly. 'In any case, in the interest of, um, working together,' she stuttered, her face flushing. 'C-could Tenko have a request? It's quite silly, b-but...'

'Sure, fire away!' Akamatsu encouraged immediately. 'Whatever it is, it seems like it matters to you, so I will do my best to do whatever you need,' she assured, covering Tenko's hand with her own.

'W-well, um, Tenko was wondering,' she said nervously, playing with her hair, 'if you would be interested in being on first name basis with her, Akamatsu-san. I-it's fine if not, Tenko will understand...'

'Of course it's not a problem, Tenko-san,' Akamatsu said immediately. 'Your name is really nice, I'm excited for the opportunity to say it a lot!'

'I-is it? Tenko picked it herself!' she informed proudly, before realising what she had just said and covering her mouth.

'You picked it yourself...?' Akamatsu tilted her head. 'Oh, like you decided to change it when you got older?'

Tenko nodded. 'Tenko was born with an entirely different name, but she hated. In fact, she hated a lot of things related to her birth,' she said, clenching her fists. 'So, as soon as she could, she worked towards shaping herself into the person she wanted to be.'

Akamatsu stroked her back gently. 'As far as I'm concerned, your name was always Tenko, and you've always been a lovely girl. Somebody must have just made a mistake at first, you know? They guessed your name because they couldn't ask baby you to introduce yourself properly.'

Tenko smiled at her, misty-eyed. 'Yes,' she said, nodding, 'that has to be exactly what happened. Tenko couldn't tell them yet. She had to learn how to speak first,' she added, rubbing her eyes. Akamatsu continued stroking her back with a gentle smile on her face.

Somehow the two of them ended up in a hug, much like the time after the trial, when apolgetic, sobbing Tenko embraced Akamatsu, desperately craving forgiveness and warmth. This hug was much different, though – it was the comforting embrace of gratitude and trust, of having a risk pay off. Akamatsu wrapped her arms around her tightly, letting Tenko's hair tickle her cheek.

'Thank you, Kaede-san,' Tenko whispered. 'Tenko really needed this talk. She feels much better now. She is going to start practising for the future performances now,' she said, slowly letting Akamatsu go. She squeezed her hands and started going downstairs with a wide smile.

Akamatsu's eyes followed he until she was no longer visible. Relief filled her chest as she looked back at the tree. Perhaps there was a certain truth to Angie's belief that the tree was a symbol of the group's unity.

***

Akamatsu headed upstairs. In the Geography Lab, she found Hoshi Ryouma, who was examining the maps again.

'Hey, Hoshi-kun, got a moment?' she asked, looking over his shoulder.

'For you, Akamatsu, I always have time. If I didn't, I'm sure you'd keep asking until I did, and give me meaningful looks. Besides,' he added, putting a candy cigarette in his mouth, 'it's not like I'm doing anything. Just trying to figure out where we are.'

'That's still on your mind, huh? I don't think we can figure that out yet, but we will once we get out.'

'If we do,' he corrected.

'We will! Anyway, I got something for you,' she said, taking something out of her backpack. It was a teddy bear, similar to the one she had given Angie. 'I know you would have preferred a cat but there weren't any,' she added apologetically.

Hoshi glanced at the plushie and reluctantly accepted it. He stroked the bear's head. 'It's perfect. Thanks,' he said, trying not to smile. 'Let me guess, you want to talk about my match against Momota. Is that it?'

'That's one of the things I wanted to talk about, yeah. I was surprised to see that you picked tennis back up. Pleasantly surprised!' she clarified, clasping her hands.

'Didn't seem like it would ever happen, huh?' he remarked, glancing at her. 'It's embarrassing, but...after that conversation we had about my memories from the club, I started to miss all that... I thought it wouldn't hurt to try again. Momota insisted on it, too. He was a good sport.'

'He took the loss well,' Akamatsu admitted with a chuckle. 'But, you were amazing! You really didn't hold back. I was so impressed, we all were. I'm glad you decided to pick it back up, you absolutely have to sign up for a tournament once we're out of here!'

'We'll see about that,' Hoshi said vaguely. 'If we manage to make it out, I'll consider it. For now, I'll just practise when I can.'

'Hey, is that just me, or was that a less pessimistic remark than usually?' Akamatsu teased, crossing her arms. 'Hmmm?'

Hoshi turned towards her, still stroking the plushie absentmindedly. 'Maybe so. I'm still not sold on the idea that we'll ever escape, but maybe it's a possibility. Would be nice to have something to look forward to.'

'Well, you have your love for tennis, right? That's definitely something to live for and look forward to!' she pointed out.

Hoshi sighed. 'I wish it was that easy. I'm still not fully alright with picking tennis back up to begin with. It's a process. And to be honest, that alone won't be enough. I have quite a few holes to fill, it's not just tennis.'

'Wanna talk about it?' Akamatsu asked with an encouraging smile.

Hoshi looked up at her. 'I guess I might as well get it off my chest. I have no reason not to tell you at this point. You see, I have one very big regret in life, mostly unrelated to tennis. It's of a more...romantic nature.'

'Oh?' Akamatsu raised her eyebrows.

'Is it surpising that I had a romantic past? It's fine, I get that a lot,' he said, looking down.

'What? No, I'm not surprised at all. I've always known you have a lot of love to give, Hoshi-kun. Although it always seems to me that you don't think you deserve it.'

Hoshi's eyes widened slightly. He blinked slowly, and then smiled, shaking his head. 'Akamatsu, you're too good at this. It's like I don't need to tell you the story, because you can already guess what happened.'

'Did you throw your love away, because you thought you don't deserve it?' Akamatsu asked, preemptively clenching her fists. 'I want to hear about this, but I can't promise I won't be angry at you.'

'There was a person I met by chance and fell in love with. It was instanteous. I was willing to spend my life with them...but I decided against it in the end. I threw all that away. And, yes, it was because that the person would have been unhappy with me.'

'But...you were in love, right? So, why?!' Akamatsu asked, baffled and angry.

'It didn't matter. And it doesn't now. That person...is gone,' he said quietly.

'They...they died?'

'Yeah. It wouldn't have worked out anyway, as you see. Since then, I've been alone. Clearly, being close to me is bad for your health. I just shouldn't bother, even if I find someone again.'

'That's not true!' Akamatsu protested. 'You're a lovely person, you just need to stop focusing on the past so much. And stop telling yourself that you don't deserve love! There's someone you care about right now, isn't there?' she asked, tilting her head.

'Nothing escapes you, does it?' he remarked with a somewhat gentle smile. 'I can't deny that. There is...someone. But I don't think anything's going to come out of it, ever.'

'Why not?' Akamatsu asked immediately. 'He clearly cares about you, too. Maybe it's worth giving it a shot. I'll be your wingman!' she offered.

'I can't imagine a better wingman,' he said sincerely. 'I just need some more time. I don't think I should be pursuing anything like that right now. It feels kind of tasteless, too think about romance in a killing game.'

'Why not? It's now or never. Until we find the exit, we're stuck here anyway. And you will be motivated to get out of here with him, right?' she suggested.

'Maybe. Or maybe I shouldn't let myself get too attached to anyone in the middle of the killing game,' he pointed out gloomily.

'It's too late for that, isn't it?' she said defiantly.

Hoshi chuckled. 'You got me there. Still, though, not now. I will let you know.'

'That's a deal!' she said, pumping her fist. 'Well, I'll see you around, loveboy!' she added, heading towards the door.

'Don't...call me that...' Hoshi protested weakly, pulling his hat over his eyes.

***

As soon as she left the room, she ran into the person she was just thinking of.

'Ouma-kun, what are you doing?' she asked cautiously. Ouma was looking closely at the door to the principal's office.

'Akamatsu-chan!' he exclaimed. 'I'm trying to break into Monokuma's office, of course.'

'What? Is it locked?' she asked, walking over.

'Uh huh,' he confirmed, pointing at a piece of paper attached to the door that said 'DO NOT DISTURB' in the same printed font Akamatsu remembered from the envelopes.

'Oh. But...why do you want to break in?' she asked, confused. 'Why not just wait until it opens eventually? Everything inside is locked anyway.'

'Tch, Akamatsu-chan, have you no imagination?' he scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment. 'Obviously, I want to see what Monokuma is doing in there. It has to be locked for a reason...no?' he said, grinning at her. 'Besides, I want to break into the desk as well.'

'As I said, it's locked...and if you figured out how to open it, Monokuma said we'd get punished for that,' she warned.

'What is he gonna do to me? It's not like I'd get executed.' He paused for a moment. 'Although, I could get scolded, and that sounds like no fun. What if I get...detention?!'

'Yeah, that sounds awful. And honestly, I think you wouldn't want to see whatever Monokuma might be doing...I have a bad feeling,' she added. 'On the contrary, I think you should go to the Geography Lab now.'

Ouma tilted his head. 'Hm? Why is that? Something less boring than staring at a door?'

'Definitely. Trust me on that,' she said, heading downstairs. 'So, leave the door alone, okay?'

'Can't make any promises!' he said, skipping towards the Geography Lab.

Akamatsu smiled to herself as she walked down the stairs.

***

As Akamatsu walked down the hall towards the stairs, the door to the laundry room opened. She looked over curiously. 

'Oh, Akamatsu-san, you're just the person I needed!' Kiibo exclaimed from inside the room, gesturing at her to come over. 

'Do you need something from me, Kiibo-kun?' she asked, looking inside. 'I have some time now,' she added. 

Inside the laundry room, there were a few towers of neatly folded clothes. That was…their entire laundry from the other day, wasn't it? Toujou never got to finish and give the clothes back. 

'That's perfect then. See,' Kiibo started explaining, gesturing towards the laundry, 'I ironed everything that had not been ironed, took out what was in the washing machines and ironed it, too, according to Toujou-san' s instructions. I sorted the laundry by person, and I think I did it right…' he said hesitantly. 

'You sorted them all by yourself?' Akamatsu asked in awe. She was more and more impressed. 

'Well, technically…' Kiibo paused and took a piece of folded paper off the top of one of the washing machines. He handed it over to Akamatsu. 'Toujou-san left me all sorts of instructions, I mostly just followed them. They proved quite useful.'

Akamatsu took the piece of paper out of his hands. It not only detailed how to use the washing machines and the iron, but also listed which garments belonged to which person. She read through it, shaking her head in disbelief. 

'Kiibo-kun, wait. Toujou-san gave this to you? When?' 

The robot hesitated. He tapped his chin with his finger. 'Two days ago, in the morning. I was helping her set everything up here, and she gave me these notes, but told me not to look at them until the next day. I kept these notes safe through the trial and the night and, as instructed, only opened them after we were done investigating the new area yesterday. I only had time to handle part of the task, so I sorted everything just now,' he said, puffing out his chest proudly. 

Akamatsu looked at the list again and smiled. 

_I see now. Toujou-san was aiming to escape, but she allowed the possibility of failure. Even though she was willing to sacrifice us all for the sake of returning to her duties outside, she knew that if she dies we'll be left alone with all the tasks she was usually doing. So she decided to make sure that we would be alright without her. Responsible as always, Toujou-san…_

'You're doing great, Kiibo-kun,' she assured. 'What did you need my help for?' 

'Well,' he said, as his smile dropped suddenly, 'I did sort everything like I was supposed to, but there is something I am unsure of.'

'What is it?' she asked softly. Suddenly, she felt somewhat nervous. 

Kiibo reached over and grabbed something from the corner. He held it up without a word. 

'Oh…' Akamatsu said. 

Angie's pyjamas. She remembered them from the sleepover they organised all those days ago. It'd been almost two weeks, now, but it felt simultaneously like yesterday and like three months. 

'I am unsure what to do with that. Angie-san is no longer here to collect it, so…' Kiibo remarked, looking at the garment with a certain sadness. 

'Oh boy,' Akamatsu whispered. She looked down at the list again, hoping against all odds, to find an answer there. Sadly, Toujou didn't seem to care much about that particular issue. 

'Hey, what's going on here?' Shirogane asked, reluctantly walking into the room. Upon seeing all the clothes, her eyes widened. 'Oh.'

'Good afternoon, Shirogane-san,' Akamatsu said, somewhat relieved to see her. 'We were just wondering what to do about Angie-san's clothes.'

'Is it still afternoon or already evening?' Shirogane asked. '6pm is such an odd time of the day. I guess it depends on when you go to sleep. If you fall asleep at eight, it's evening for you, but if you stay up till midnight, or maybe till two, it's just late afternoon for you, isn't it?' 

'...What?' Akamatsu looked at her, puzzled. 

'Sorry, that was a digression,' Shirogane said defensively. 'I think about such things sometimes. Anyway, about Angie-san' s clothes? I wonder what we should do… I came here to take a look at the memorial but then I remembered I still haven't gotten my laundry back. Angie-san can't come collect hers anymore…'

'That's why it's an issue. We can't just leave it here, can we? But taking it with me would be creepy…right?' Akamatsu said, unsure. 

'We can add it to the memorial!' Shirogane suggested. 'Just hang it there!' 

'I'm not sure about that…' Akamatsu said reluctantly, but her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden announcement. 

'Good evening, you bastards! Gather at the gym immediately or you will be punished! See you in a few!' 

Shirogane pointed at the speaker triumphantly. 'See? It really might be evening!' 

***

Akamatsu arrived at the gym along with almost everyone else, Kiibo and Shirogane jogging right behind her. She had a bad feeling about what was coming. What could the bear possibly want from them? There were many possibilities, none of them comforting. 

Once again, everyone but Iruma was there. She arrived late, rushing into the gym with a terrified expression. Was she this scared about the possible punishment, or was it about them, her classmates? Her bloodshot eyes shifted around the room. Was she not getting any sleep? Something definitely needed to be done about that. 

The gym door locked behind them as always. Akamatsu shuddered, looking around nervously. How long was Monokuma going to keep them waiting? It always seemed like he took his sweet time even though he could appear wherever he wanted. 

'Hello, bastards!' he said exactly as she thought that, startling her. Everyone turned towards where the voice was coming from with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. What could the bear want this time? 

Monokuma was standing in front of them, wearing a suit. Akamatsu groaned. Was he trying to get into the role of the principal or something? 

'What did you call us here for?' Harukawa asked. 'This is an odd hour to call a meeting. Did something happen?' 

'You bet something happened!' Monokuma assured, leaning forward. 'I found out some things that might be of interest for you!' 

'My nudes?' Iruma asked under her breath. Akamatsu was relieved to see that even in her current state, she was still the old Iruma she knew. 

'What did you find!' Ouma balanced on his toes, his eyes sparkling. 

'Whatever it is, it probably isn't anything good for us,' Kiibo pointed out, glaring at Monokuma. 

'Aw, you guys doubt me? And here I was going to provide some answers to your questions,' the bear said, pretending to be genuinely hurt. 

'Answers?' Akamatsu perked up, eyeing him suspiciously. On one hand, she knew that the bear wasn't going to lie to them, but on the other, she couldn't help but feel like the supposed answers might do more harm than good. 

'Yep! I prepared some information just for you,' Monokuma said cheerfully. 'Everyone gets another envelope full of information! Isn't that exciting? You missed those, didn't you?' 

'What sort of information?' Harukawa asked, clenching her fists. She then folded her arms over her chest, digging her fingernails into her skin. 

'Who knows? Open it to find out! You might learn something about yourselves…or about someone else. Or both,' the bear said, waving his paws. 

'Huh?' Akamatsu took a step back, shocked. 

'What is that supposed to mean?' Momota asked, glaring at Monokuma.

'Oh, you know, the usual. It might mean you will find out something that can work as blackmail material, like the fact someone peed their bed until 7th grade, or something similarly embarrassing. Orrrr you might find out someone was lying to you about something significant. Like, you know...their talent, or their connection to the mastermind…yep, a lot of you don't know the truth about each other! I think my little gift is going to help you out!'

Akamatsu took a deep breath. The possibility of finding out the traitor's ability? It sounded too good to be true...and yet, it might have been their only chance. 

'Wait, so we might get our own information…or somebody else's?' Harukawa continued asking. 

'Harukawa-san, it's safe to assume that the person you least wanted to know your secrets is the one who got access to them. So have fun with that thought!' the bear teased, cackling. 'I'd advise against telling the person what you know unless you're going for blackmail or something. Let's think of this as our own secret santa event. Except I'm santa and I stole your secrets.'

Akamatsu found herself getting a headache. She was going to have to risk it and read whatever she got, wasn't she? Id the provided information was going to be true, potentially… 

Monokuma left, she didn't even notice when. The gym door opened. Iruma stormed out immediately, just like the last time. Akamatsu didn't even get to call out to her. 

'What are we going to do…?' she whispered. 

Shirogane, who was standing beside her, walked closer and looked at her with concern. 'Akamatsu-san,' she said, 'do you think this is our chance to find out who…?' 

'It might be,' she said vaguely. 'It might just be.' She had to read the information. She wasn't afraid of what Monokuma had written about her - she had nothing to hide, nothing to lose, as far as she knew. On the contrary, if she plays her cards well, she might finally solve the mystery of the school. 

Then again, what if it's all a lie to make them turn against each other again? What if all of the information was made up? What if, much like in the case of the memory envelopes, they couldn't confirm or deny if some of them are true or not. 

She bit her lip and clenched her fists. 

It might be a trick, or her only chance. For now, she couldn't tell which it might have been. 

She decided to put the decision off for a while. Perhaps the best course of action was to talk everyone into revealing the information they got. They should read the files together. 

She left the gym along with the others. Her heart was beating faster and faster, thumping and leaping, and she felt herself becoming desperate. 

A choice needed to be made, or someone will die. 

***

Harukawa Maki opened her eyes. She had been pinching the bridge of her nose in disbelief at her own life choices. 

She had sneaked out of the gym and followed Iruma into the dorms. It was an impulse, but one she couldn't ignore. Now, as a result, she was standing in front of Iruma's door, hesitating to ring the bell. 

She tucked her hair behind her ear. It really was much more convenient to keep it short like that. She should have done that ages ago. 

She rang the doorbell. She kept her fingertip on the button for five whole seconds and then let go. She knew what kind of ridiculous behaviour to expect from Iruma. She wasn't going to be discouraged. 

The door opened. Iruma was already talking, in an irritated yet self-pitying whine. 'Bakamatsu, I told you not to come,' she said before noticing who was at the door. She paused, eyeing Harukawa nervously. 'Emo bitch, what are ya doin' here? Gonna k-kill me?'

Somewhere deep inside, Harukawa couldn't help but wonder if being as intimidating as she was helped in situations like these. That didn't matter, though. She was going to make it help. 

'If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead before you noticed who I am,' she assured, putting her hands up. 'I'm not even armed. You're safe with me right now. Can I come in?' 

Iruma hesitated, looking at her empty hands and then her empty pockets and finally - into her eyes. Harukawa knew, on some level, that Iruma had to be aware that if one needs a weapon, they'll find it, whether it be their own hands or a pillow that everyone had on their bed, or anything else. Harukawa could, if she wanted, kill Iruma in a minute without using a single weapon. Getting Iruma to trust that she wouldn't was going to be difficult after what Toujou did. 

However, Harukawa had the advantage of sincerely not wanting to commit murder. That wasn't even on her mind right now. Hopefully, that would be apparent to Iruma. 

'Whatever, you can come in,' Iruma said finally, opening the door wider. So, she decided to gamble away, then. Harukawa was relieved. 

Iruma led her inside and sat down on the bed. Harukawa looked around the room with mild interest. It was stacked with Iruma's weird inventions, which she personally had no interest in. 

'What did you want from me?' Iruma asked, trying not to shiver. 

Harukawa looked down at her and sat down on the edge of the bed. 'Have you been eating anything?' she asked casually. 

'Eh? I have energy bars I got from the cafeteria,' Iruma answered immediately. 

'That doesn't count as food,' Harukawa stated, shaking her head slightly. 'What about liquids? Let me guess, energy drinks?' 

Iruma nodded. 'What business is it of yours?' she growled, covering herself with a blanket. 'Fuck right off,' she said in a voice muffled by the blanket. 

Harukawa didn't look at her. She focused on the mess that was the room. 'You're right, it's none of my business. It's your business, and you're not taking care of it.'

Iruma's head popped out of the blanket again. 'What the fuck are ya talkin' about?' she asked, confused and offended at the same time. 

'I mean that you're acting like a child. Is this supposed to be the golden girl genius?' Harukawa congratulated herself for not cringing while uttering that phrase. 'You're a pathetic child.'

Iruma stared at her wide-eyed. The instinct to victimize herself and the instinct to kick Harukawa’s teeth in for insulting her seemed to be fighting for dominance in her brain.

'Wh-what gives you the right to come in here and question my genius?!' Iruma whined in a high-pitched voice. 

'I look at you and I don't see a genius. I see a child throwing a tantrum, one of many I've had to work with. You should clean your room now. Untidiness is bad for creativity. You will never be able to design anything if you can't even move around the room,' Harukawa said, staring at the floor. She was standing between two strange inventions. 

Iruma sat up straight on the bed and looked there as well. Her bottom lip quivered. Her face was flushed bright pink. Finally, she got up from the bed and started picking up paper balls - remnants of the projects that were not meant to be. Harukawa watched her intently, tapping her foot. 

Iruma was now on her knees, cleaning the floor meticulously. There were too many weird gadgets to move all of them into the closet, but she was doing the best she could. 

Harukawa watched her carefully. 'I don't tend to praise people for doing the bare minimum, but I'm glad you pulled yourself together so quickly. You've been a mess since Toujou can't do stuff for you, haven't you?' 

Iruma shuddered and looked up at her from the floor without a word. Her eyes were filled with pain and shock. Bingo. 

'I'm right, aren't I?' Harukawa continued. She wasn't going to apologise for hurt feelings. 'Even Toujou was too easy on you, wasn't she? You probably enjoyed having a servant around and now you can't cope. Not now that you know she could have poisoned you at any moment.'

'She fuckin'...wouldn't have…' Iruma protested weakly.

'You don't believe that,' Harukawa pointed out. 'If you did, you would be stupider than I think you are. And I want to give you more credit than that.'

Iruma wailed from the floor. It was almost as if she was asking Harukawa to step on her. But she wouldn't. Not yet. It would give her too much satisfaction. 

'She was my first…' Iruma confessed into the floor. Harukawa blinked. 

'Your first. Well, congratulations on your life choices,' she said sarcastically. She felt something sting at her own heart. It wasn't the best time to remember her own baggage. 'In case you're thinking about it, I'll just say I don't care to hear about your sex life.'

'As if I was goin' to tell you the spicy details for free,' Iruma scoffed from the floor. Somehow, she was still able to make such remarks while at her lowest. 

'I don't want them even for free. Get up from the floor,' Harukawa demanded, tapping her foot. 'You sleazebag.'

Iruma groaned and got up immediately, standing up straight in front of Harukawa. Her face was still flushed. Was she getting off on…whatever the hell it was that they were doing? Impressive. 

'Good. Now listen to me,' Harukawa said, folding her arms over her chest. 'You're just like Chabashira. The girl you care about dies and suddenly you can't function.'

'I'm nothing like the aikidiot!' Iruma protested. 

'You are. It's not a bad thing. It's just annoying. I used to be like that, too,' Harukawa said reluctantly. 

'As if I'm ever goin' to buy that you cared about anyone,' Iruma mocked. 

Harukawa pursed her lips. 'I did. But that isn't important. The point is that you have to move on. Toujou isn't coming back, and she wasn't that good to begin with. Pull yourself together. I'm not saying that because I care,' she added. 'I'm not Akamatsu. I don't think we're friends. But I'm stuck with you and the other morons until I die, so you might as well not make it difficult for me.'

'Are you implying that the golden girl genius is an inconvenience to you, emo bitch?' Iruma asked somewhere between anxious and offended. 

'Not for me specifically, no. But the others are worried about you and they won't shut up about it. I thought that maybe you'd listen to me and shut them up,' Harukawa said matter-of-factly, glancing at Iruma. 'If someone else comes, you might want to tell them you're fine.'

Iruma was shocked, eyeing Harukawa cautiously. 'Bitch, as if I'm going to trust anyone now that Monokuma decided to leak my nudes!'

'You don't know that he did. I think this whole thing might be a bluff,' Harukawa said with confidence.

'Hey, emo bitch, if you get my file, don't read it and bring it to me, okay?' Iruma begged. 'Whatever the hell is in there should be seen by me and me only!' 

Harukawa looked at her with pity. 'Sure. If I get yours. Also, don't tell Akamatsu I was here if she asks. I don't need her to come to me and tell me this proves I'm a good person after all. This stays between us.' 

'Ya bet!' Iruma assured, her voice filled with her usual confidence. 'She's been fuckin' nosy as hell lately, I'm not gonna tell her anything more than I need to.'

Harukawa turned her back towards Iruma and opened the door. She wanted to make sure that Iruma couldn't see that she was smiling. 'Good. Now finish cleaning your room and wash your face. Tomorrow you will eat a proper breakfast.'

Not waiting for Iruma's response, she went into her room, free at last. The good deed of the day was done. A weight had lifted off her shoulders. If something needs to be done, do it yourself. 

Now she could lie down in her own bed and think.

First Tenko, now Iruma…time and Again she found herself helping girls who couldn't get over other, dead girls. Perhaps that was her calling. They were as much of a handful as the kids back at the orphanage, that much was for sure. 

She closed her eyes and exhaled. 

***

Akamatsu decided to go to the music room before bed. She needed to set her minds straight and calm down, or she wouldn't be able to sleep, haunted by nightmares.

Earlier, she went with Kiibo and grabbed her laundry. It smelled fresh and nice when she picked it up and carefully stuffed it in her backpack. In the end, she decided to leave Angie's pyjamas in the laundry room for now. 

When she was leaving the laundry room, she told Kiibo not to open whatever Monokuma left in his dorm until morning. The more time she bought till morning, the better. It seemed that Kiibo was the only person who was going to listen to her for now… 

… She closed her eyes and rested her fingers on the keys. The piano was her solace for now. She just had to believe that nothing would happen until morning. 

When she focused, she could have sworn she could hear the frantic thoughts of her classmates:

_It can only be that. The worst thing I did. If anyone finds out, I'll be as good as dead._

_Nobody could know about *that*, right? Not even the mastermind. I'm sure of that…_

_I'm sure that I know who got mine. That would ruin everything. I have to do something before…_

_I have never done anything blackmail worthy…have I?_

_What an interesting turn of events…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I'm not even sure what I'm doing but I love Harukawa and Kiibo and writing FTEs


	36. Chapter 4: Daily Life 4

Akamatsu did not sleep well at all the night before. She kept waking up at random intervals, terrified and anxious for seemingly no reason, her forehead dripping with cold sweat. It felt like there was a presence in her room, but everytime she woke up nobody was there. Besides, her door was definitely locked. And yet...she felt more uneasy than normal.

It made sense, she figured, since there was a camera in her room, wasn't there? So, technically, there was a presence in her room...but it was there from the start, so it should have made her uneasy all the time, right? She decided that it's probably nothing, perhaps just paranoia...

Then, a memory resurfaced in her mind. Didn't Ouma talk about breaking into the principal's office? Perhaps her mind latched onto that idea and let it mutate into someone breaking into her room. She wasn't sure how she would feel if Ouma somehow picked her lock, but that didn't seem to be the case either way.

She sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes. She felt so very exhausted, but that couldn't stop her from facing the day! She got up slowly, stretching her arms and legs.

She looked into the camera with an irritated expression, and then glanced at the desk uneasily. There, she saw the new, big envelope. She had looked at it the night before, but didn't get to examine it properly. Now, she grabbed it and looked it over. Perhaps that was the source of her uneasiness.

There was no name on the envelope – not hers, and not anyone's it might contain information about. She had to admit that it was both infuriating and somewhat clever – she couldn't even give it back to the person without opening it first. And if she were to open it, there is a chance that she would feel even more tempted to read it, enticed by the possiibility of finding out something that could help identify any possible traitors...or the mastermind. There was no winning.

She put the envelope back down, pursing her lips. She wasn't going to read it on her own, at least not yet. She needed to at least try to talk to the group first. Maybe it would be more beneficial if they all just read the files together, opening them together at the same time. That would get everyone up to speed indiscriminately, right? And all of them would have their secrets spilled...

She slowly walked into the bathroom, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was probably going to have to go to bed early or take a nap later in the day.

As she was watching her own face in the mirror, she thought to herself: what might possibly be in my file? That was the question she was sure everyone was asking themselves since they found out about the new motive from Monokuma. That is, unless there were people who knew exactly what they were hiding from the others, in which case their thought process was more along the lines of 'who is going to find *that thing* out?'...

In which case, it was probably worth finding out about, she mused, since such a secret can't be anything good, but, she then thought, sometimes secrets are best kept hidden or revealed at one's own discretion, since they do no harm when kept in the past, but might put someone in danger if, for example, the wrong person finds out... Would she be in trouble, for example, if certain people found out about her sexuality? She wasn't hiding it, exactly, but she still felt uneasy when Momota talked about it in front of others without her consent...

Then she remembered the secrets she knew about others. They were usually things that didn't change how she viewed them as people, but certainly weren't something her friends were proud of. Hoshi had a criminal past, for example...so perhaps his file was about that. Was it fair to the group to keep his crimes a secret, even if he already made up for them? She couldn't tell. What about Ouma's organisation, then? It would make sense if his file talked about that, and she couldn't say she wasn't curious to know. Such a powerful organisation could reasonably be responsible for the killing game, for one...

When she thought about it this way, maybe it wasn't the best way to get everyone's dirt out there..but it could be a necessary evil in order to find out things that might come in useful and save lives.

She rubbed her temples in frustration, walking back into the room. Thinking about something so nuanced was starting to give her a headache.

Maybe, in the end, she just had to discuss it with everyone, and they would come to a conclusion together. There was no other way. She wished there were, she thought as she put on the freshly washed and ironed clothes. At least that felt nice and cozy. The shirt, the vest, the tie, after being so worn out for so long it felt like new life had been breathed into them. She could have sworn they smelled vaguely of Toujou – it was probably the smell she remembred from the time when Toujou was ironing, she figured. It felt...warm, like a hug.

She finished getting ready and, still feeling a bit groggy, left the room, closing the door carefully. Couldn't risk anything, right? Wouldn't want anybody to sneak inside while she was out...

As she got closer to the cafeteria, walking down the hall, she heard a blood-curdling scream. Her blood ran cold, her heart skipped a beat. What...was the scream? Did something terrible already happen? She started walking faster, almost tripping over her own feet.

Apparently Akamatsu was destined to walk into a strange situation, starting early in the morning already. Perhaps she wasn't quite awake right before walking into the cafeteria, but the sight before her eyes immediately woke her up for good, delivering on the promise of the scream she had just heard. 

'What's…going on?' she asked weakly. 

'Assassination attempt!' Shirogane screamed hysterically, running up towards her. 

Akamatsu kept staring at the table, wide-eyed. Momota was sitting there and coughing loudly. His face was red, his eyes bloodshot and tear-filled. He kept trying to pound at his own chest. Ouma was next to him, half-heartedly patting his back in an attempt to help. Tenko and Hoshi watched in him in speechless shock. Kiibo and Harukawa looked on from behind the counter, Kiibo with concern and confusion, and Harukawa with an entirely blank expression as per usual. 

'What?!' Akamatsu cried out, running towards the table. 'Is this a poisoning attempt?' 

'Calm down. He'll be fine,' Harukawa assured from the counter. She seemed utterly disinterested in the whole situation. Was she ever moved by anything? Her calmness was somewhat comforting despite how out of place it felt. She had a reason to believe it would be fine, after all, right? 

'How do you know?! Did you do this?! Is that why you don't care?!' Shirogane screamed, pointing her finger at her. 

'It's not poison, you nerds,' Ouma said, giggling into his hand. 'It's cinnamon.'

'Cinnamon…?' Tenko asked, looking at him wide-eyed. 

'Someone get him some water!' Akamatsu ordered frantically. 'Kiibo-kun, please! Get him a glass of water! Actually, wait a moment,' she said as she started digging in her backpack. She had bought an entire bottle of water for situations just like these! In a way, she was amazed that it was actually going to come in handy. 'I have my own, too!' 

'Right on! The more water we provide, the higher chance of survival, correct?' Kiibo said, filling a glass with water, which he then brought over to Momota, who seemed to be gagging horribly. Akamatsu handed him over the bottle as well, leaning over the table. He grabbed it and started drinking immediately, with some of the water dripping down his chin. He put the empty bottle down and grabbed the glass, which he downed as well. He put the glass down and started breathing heavily. 

'Momota-kun, are you okay?' Shirogane asked, walking over towards him cautiously. He looked up at her concerned face, his eyes still watering. 

'I'm good,' he assured, coughing. 'Who the fuck put ground cinnamon in my food?! Ouma, was it you? Were you trying to kill me?' 

'Momota-chan, don't be so overdramatic, sheesh,' Ouma scolded, folding his arms over his chest. He puffed out his cheeks, as if he was sincerely offended. 'Cinnamon can't kill you, dummy! If I were serious about killing you, I'd use strychnine or something, duh.'

'He's been rendered so helpless by cinnamon? Ha! Tenko is going to prove that it's harmless and he is just weak!' she insisted, puffing out her chest. 'Can someone give Tenko cinnamon?' 

'It's right there!' Kiibo said, grabbing a bag off the counter. 'That must be what the culprit used, and they just left it there!' 

'Chabashira, don't,' Harukawa said firmly. 

'Look, Chabashira, you don't have to prove anything-' Momota said, but he didn't get to finish his thoughts - Tenko stuffed an entire spoonful of cinnamon into her mouth. She then looked him in the eyes, coughing softly every now and then. One of her cheeks was puffed out…stuffed with the powder, which she kept there with her tongue, waiting for saliva to form in her mouth. That was a clever strategy, admittedly.

'Okay, but who did it? I think it was supposed to just bea prank…' Akamatsu said, watching Tenko carefully. 

'I dunno. It was already prepared for me when I walked in,' Momota said. 'I found it odd but decided that someone was just trying to be nice.'

'I want to try, too!' Shirogane said suddenly, grabbing a spoonful as well. She started coughing, while Tenko still seemed mostly fine. Then she started to swallow the powder, gently tapping her chest. She was victorious. 

'What the fuck is goin' on?' Iruma's voice said from the doorstep, exactly when Tenko finished swallowing the lump. Everyone except for Shirogane, who was pounding her chest and wheezing, turned towards her. 

'Iruma-san!' Kiibo exclaimed, running up to her. 'Did you decide to join us again at last?' 

'I ran out of energy bars,' Iruma explained, glancing at Harukawa before looking back at Shirogane. 'What is the nerd choking on?' she asked again, pointing her finger at the woman, who was being patted on the back by Tenko. 

'Momota choked on cinnamon so these two wanted to try as well,' Harukawa explained, sighing. 'Did you prove your point already?' she asked impatiently. 

'Tenko is victorious! She won't be defeated by mere spice!' she exclaimed triumphantly, pointing at Momota. 

'Fine, Chabashira, you win,' Momota said, defeated. 'But remember I didn't know I was eating cinnamon, so it's not a fair competition! And I still have no idea who put it there.'

'It was me,' Ouma informed, balancing on his feet. 'That wasn't a mystery at all!' he added, winking in the direction of Harukawa. Akamatsu couldn't quite understand why, but she had a bad feeling.

'We should probably eat now that nobody's choking anymore,' Hoshi pointed out, trying to change the topic. 'That could have ended much worse than it did, so let's maybe not do it again. Momota, you're fine?' 

'I'm good, I just need something else to eat,' he said, scratching the back of his head. His eyes were still reddish but otherwise he seemed fine. 

'Then make something,' Harukawa said simply, taking a seat and starting to eat her oatmeal. 'The lesson here is that you shouldn't have just eaten anything somebody, you don't even know who, made for you. Did you learn nothing from Ouma's poisoning?' 

'I thought somebody was just being nice!' Momota whined defensively. 'I guess in hindsight it was a pretty funny prank,' he admitted. 'It just caught me off guard. Nice job, Ouma,' he added, stroking his goatee. 

'Ew, no, don't say stuff like that!' Ouma protested, shaking his head. 'You're not supposed to enjoy it! Don't give me praise! Die already,' he added, sticking his tongue out. 

The breakfast then proceeded mostly without any incidents. Iruma tried to grab energy bars and leave, but eventually decided against it and, under Harukawa’s watchful eye, made herself a proper breakfast. Akamatsu smiled with relief. 

That feeling didn't last long, though, as she remembered what she really came here to talk about. She had to act quick before they start to leave...

'While we're all here,' she started, getting up from her seat, 'I think we should discuss the motive. What do you guys think?' 

'I think there's nothing to talk about here,' Harukawa said immediately. 

'I think we shouldn't pay attention to the envelopes,' Momota said at the same time. 

'I was thinking,' Akamatsu said, refusing to get discouraged, 'that for the sake of fairness, we should either publicly read all of them out loud, or destroy them without opening them.'

'Are you insane?' Harukawa asked, standing up as well. Her expression looked almost feral, with wide open eyes and raised eyebrows. 

'Bakamatsu, you just wanna know dirt on us, don't ya?' Iruma added from the side. She was looking for energy bars in the fridge. 

'Guys, calm down,' Hoshi said, trying to mediate. 'I think we should try to figure out what to do, better now than later, once someone gets hurt.'

'Someone already did get hurt. Right, Momota-chan?' Ouma said sweetly. 

'You're having too much fun, aren't you?' Momota said, shaking his head. 

'Tenko isn't sure if reading everything together is the best idea…' she said hesitantly, looking down at her hands. Akamatsu felt her heart skip a beat. 

'We should not do anything without anyone's consent,' Kiibo pointed out. 

'B-but, how are we going to get consent? The envelopes aren't labelled…' Shirogane remarked. 

'That is a fair point,' Kiibo admitted, thinking hard. 'They must be signed inside, right? To show who they're talking about. Perhaps we could just open them and take a look-' 

'And then what?' Harukawa asked, resting her hand on her hip. 'We'll just ask if they're fine with you revealing things they might not even be aware of? Please. That idea is not going to work.'

'I'll snatch the files before they can protest and never give them back so I can have more blackmail material,' Ouma said with a grin. 

'More…? That means you have some already?' Shirogane asked, sweating profusely. 

'Everything,' Ouma said simply, stirring his tea. 

'You ain't gettin' my nudes!' Iruma protested. 

'I wouldn't want them even for blackmail,' Ouma assured her. 

'...Back on track,' Akamatsu tried again, 'what should we do, then, if not just read them all together? This way we would have nothing to hide and the motive wouldn't affect us, right?' 

'That's pretty naive thinking, Akamatsu,' Hoshi said, shaking his head. 'Obviously, there are things I wouldn't want anybody to know about me. But one person knowing might be easier to control than eight, if it were to happen.'

'If anything, destroying all of them without reading them might be a better idea,' Harukawa said, 'but even that is not foolproof. Multiple hours have passed since we received the envelopes. At least one of us probably examined theirs already,' she added. 

Everyone exchanged suspicious glances. Did someone really…? It wasn't hard to believe, considering that last time such envelopes were involved, half of the group decided to look inside. It was, however, hard to accept that possibility. 

'I'm not sure if I'd want to destroy them all just like that,' Akamatsu admitted reluctantly. 'There might be something that could help us identify a traitor or the mastermind or something…'

'You think there is a traitor amongst us?' Momota asked cautiously. 'I know I used to think that Amami was suspicious, but I don't really believe any of us could be involved like that anymore.'

'There might be,' Akamatsu said, looking around the room. She too didn't want to believe that, but… 

'If there is one, I doubt that the mastermind would just let us know about it. Unless,' Harukawa said, suddenly alert, 'they fell through and aren't working with the mastermind anymore. In which case they would be put at a risk of being ostracised without being the enemy anymore. As for the mastermind…again, I doubt they would tell us just like that, unless they're planning to end the game.'

'If they were planning to end it, they probably wouldn't put the effort into preparing these to begin with,' Shirogane mused. 'They could just tell us that we're free to go. Ah, wouldn't that be nice?' 

'That mastermind bitch is a sadist. Might keep us here until one of us is left alive,' Iruma remarked, crossing her arms.

'That is also a fair assessment,' Kiibo agreed, nodding.

'And that sole survivor is going to be Iruma Miu, of course,' she added, flipping her hair. 

'Anyway,' Akamatsu said, clearing her throat, having noticed that Ouma was about to say something about Iruma's hypothetical survival, 'what should we do, then?' 

'As always, stop trying to decide one solution for everyone,' Harukawa said, glaring at her, walking slowly towards the door. 'Let everyone solve it between themselves. This way less people are going to get hurt, I presume, since not everyone will open theirs to begin with. If anybody happened to have read mine…we will talk. But that's not your business. Just mine.'

Having said that, she left. Iruma followed right after, shuddering a little. 

Momota sighed and got up as well. He scratched the back of his head. 'That Monokuma. Always putting us in situations like these…'

'Ah,I kind of wish we went with Akamatsu-san's idea. I love gossip,' Shirogane mused. 'There is nothing better than a healthy dose of new information about someone.'

'I don't think it's just gossip…we have no idea what kind of stuff they put there,' Hoshi said bitterly. 'Besides, you would be included too. You realise that, right?' 

'Oh, I have nothing to hide. Judge me, judge me all you want!' Shirogane assured, puffing out her chest. 'Then again, there may be something…' she realised, and her form deflated as she started sweating profusely. 'M-maybe we're better off…'

'Incredible,' Momota muttered, shaking his head. 'I need to exercise or I'll go insane. See you guys,' he said, walking out the door. 

'Good thinking, there's no cinnamon in there!' Ouma yelled after him and began chuckling into his hand. He then got up as well. 

One by one, everyone was leaving, until Akamatsu was left all alone with her thoughts. She failed to notice the order of their exit, or any more words they might have said. Kiibo tried to take her plate before leaving, but she shook her head, holding onto it, so he left her alone. She rubbed her temples.

As always, the group couldn't come to a singular solution. She wished that there weren't so many individualists amongst her classmates…but there was nothing she could do about that, was there? Strong personalities, combatting her own. In a way, it was a challenge that just made her want to push and try harder. 

She stayed in the cafeteria for just a little bit more to do her dishes. Then, she was going to hang out with some people. It seemed that she had better luck communicating individually, anyway. 

As she washed her plate, she thought of Iruma. She decided to show up for breakfast, which she never did, even when Toujou was around… Did she really run out of food, and that's why she came, forced to choose between seeing her classmates and starving? She seemed calmer, too… 

Whatever happened there seemed like a good sign, she figured. 

Akamatsu inhaled and exhaled deeply. She then pumped her fists, looking on ahead with confidence. 

Fake it till you make it, she thought. 

It was time to talk to some people. 

***

The gifts from the gatchapon rattled around in Akamatsu's backpack as she slowly made it up the stairs. She was exhausted, but excited at the prospect of hanging out with her friends. 

Harukawa would probably scoff at her for thinking of everyone as her friends, despite the circumstances…but she sincerely believed that's what they were. Even those who disappointed her by committing murder still held a special place in her heart…particularly Amami, whom she still missed, and Toujou, whose planned triple murder she still couldn't quite process. 

Those thoughts led her right to Angie's lab, the home of the memorial immortalising all the fallen participants. She was never going to forget the sight of Angie's dead body hanging from the hook,even though it was now long gone - not even a stain was left, but she still could have sworn that she smelled the faint smell of blood. 

On the contrary, the current look of the room left her feeling rather bittersweet. It was heartwarming to have a reminder of all the fallen, but that did also mean she was reminded that they were no longer there. She couldn't talk to them ever again. She could only look at their portraits and weep. 

It seemed that she wasn't alone in her will to spend some time in that room, as she noticed Ouma looking at something in the corner. She approached him quietly. 

'What are you doing?' she asked once she was right next to him. He looked up at her with a blank expression which soon turned into a crooked smile. 

'Akamatsu-chan, don't scare me like that,' he scolded. 'I found some more drawings over here,' he said, showing her what he found. These were mostly sketches depicting some areas of the school - the tree in the hallway, the cafeteria, the library…

'Oh. Angie-san must have drawn these,' she whispered, careful not to smear the sketches. 

'Did you come here to admire our art, or was there something else?' Ouma asked impatiently, grabbing the drawings out of her hands and putting them on the floor. 

'I was actually looking for you,' she admitted. He glanced back at her with a puzzling smile. 

'Nishishi, is that so? You want to find out more about the inner workings of an evil organisation?' he asked, balancing on his toes. 

Akamatsu smiled awkwardly. 'Yeah, let's call it that,' she said diplomatically. 'I also got you something,' she added, taking something out of her backpack. It was a monkey's paw. 

'Well, if that ain't an interesting gift! Good taste, Akamatsu-chan!' he remarked with a smirk. 'Let's sit down if you want to talk about serious business,' he added. 

'Sit down where?' she asked, looking around. 'There are no chairs.'

'The floor, dummy,' he clarified, dragging her down by the wrist as he sat down cross-legged. 'Now,' he started, cracking his knuckles, 'I have some more tests for you, Akamatsu-chan!' 

'Oh boy,' she muttered, smiling awkwardly. 

'You might know this one, but, let me ask you…have you heard of the trolley problem?' he asked, cupping his cheeks. 

'That one where there are people on the rails and you have to run some of them over?' she guessed, vaguely remembering something like that. 

'Uh huh, more or less. On one side you have one person, on the other you have ten. Who do you run over?' he asked with a wide grin. 

'I hate that question,' she said with a grimace. 'How am I supposed to know? There's always a catch, like the one person is a good guy and the ten people are serial killers or something...so whatever answer you give you will find out it was wrong. No matter what, the option I pick is to derail the trolley and not kill anybody.'

'Would your answer change if I told you who the good and bad people are? What if it was as easy as, the one person is a murderer and the ten are a mixed bag but none of them are as bad?' he continued asking. 

'In that case...maybe it would be justified to kill the one and save the ten…' she said reluctantly. 

Ouma grinned. 'So you stop looking for ways to save everyone once you know which side is the worse one? Nishishi, how interesting…'

'I feel like you're mocking me…what was the point of asking that?' she asked angrily. 

'Oh, nothing, I promise! I'm just thinking of a scenario just like that that you've actually been in, is all,' he said vaguely. 

'What…?' Akamatsu was baffled. Then the realisation hit her. 'Oh. You're talking about the trial.'

'Yup, yup, you got it!' he said, grinning widely. 'You're so predictable, Akamatsu-chan, and yet I'm never bored around you.'

'Thanks,' she said flatly. Her attempts to stay irritated failed as she chuckled, shaking her head. 

'Oooh, another question for you, Akamatsu-chan! This one is more relaxing,' he assured, leaning forward excitedly. 'If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you take with you? Just one thing!' 

Akamatsu tapped her chin. 'Can it be a thing or a person?' she asked, deep in thought. 

'A person? Sure, why not, if you want someone to be stuck with you forever,' he said with a shrug. He seemed surprised at her question. 

'Then, I know my answer exactly. I would take you,' she said, pointing at him. 

Ouma's jaw dropped. He was rendered speechless for a good few seconds. 'Why me?' he asked finally, pointing at his own chest. 

'I would miss your riddles and psychological tests otherwise, duh,' she said with a wide smile.

Ouma tilted his head. He didn't seem to know how to answer, but a small smiled danced on his lips as he played with his hair. 

'That was a lie. Well, sort of,' she said, rolling her eyes. 'I just think that together we'd figure out a way off the island, and until then I definitely wouldn't be bored. I might be annoyed, but that's worth it. Say, what would you bring to a desert island?' 

Ouma grinned and puffed out his scrawny chest. 'I'd bring a boat, of course. Duh.'

Akamatsu laughed. 'See, that's exactly what I mean! You would find a way out of anywhere. You're the supreme leader, after all,' she teased. 

Ouma opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but he decided against it. Akamatsu took the opportunity to take over the conversation. 

'Hey, I have a question for you as well,' she said. 'Could you tell me about your family?' 

'Family? Oh, I killed them all to inherit the organisation,' he said nonchalantly, playing with his hair. 

'...You what? I didn't know you inherited it,' she remarked, baffled. 

'Yeah, I killed my parents first, and then my big brother because he was the first in line. Except for the part,' he said with a smirk, 'where none of that happened. I didn't know my parents and I never had a big brother! Not that I know of, at least,' he clarified. 

'Jeez, you can't even answer one question seriously,' she scolded him with a pout. 'I was just curious!' 

'Now you know. The organisation is my only family. I was a pretty cute kud, you know?' he mused. 'Used to put crab apples and horse chestnuts in my cheeks.'

'Why?' 

'To distract from the marble I had in my hand,' he explained. 

'And why did you have a marble in your hand…?' 

'To distract from the crab apples and horse chestnuts in my mouth. Which I put there to make my cheeks bigger. Like apples,' he clarified, examining his fingernails. 

'You're impossible!' Akamatsu groaned, rubbing her temple. She couldn't help but chuckle, despite her best efforts. 'Is that even true?!' 

'I dunno, is it?' he said, opening one of his hands. He was holding a marble in it. Where on earth did he get that from...? 

Utterly exhausted, she left the art room. She wasn't going to remember the other questions she had for Ouma until much later - namely, about his earlier conversation with Kiibo. 

For now, she was going to talk to someone else. 

But whom?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.strawpoll.me/18063923 <\- FTE VOTE!!!!!
> 
> If you get all the references in Ouma's FTE you earn a badge of approval. Some of them are basically inside jokes with myself but if you know me as a person, you might get em. Or if you have similar taste


	37. Chapter 4: Daily Life 5

Akamatsu headed upstairs, straight onto the fourth floor. She noticed that the vaguely ominous 'DO NOT DISTURB' notice was gone from the door of the principal's office, but she had no interest in going there just yet. She could always check it out later – it's not like it would be locked again so soon, and for no reason. Instead, she headed right into the computer room, where she hoped to take a proper look at the monitors.

However, as it turned out, inside she found Iruma, examining the computers with a determined expression. She was looking at the monitors and tapping her foot.

'Hey, Bakamatsu!' the inventor called out, noticing her from the corner of her eye. 'Did ya come to watch a genius at work? Well then you're in luck-'

'Not really,' Akamatsu said flatly. She wasn't sure how happy she was to see Iruma was back to normal, despite her previous concern. 'I kind of just wanted to talk. Ask you about a few things.'

'Lemme see if I have time for you in my busy schedule,' Iruma said, tapping her chin. 'I can give ya like ten minutes, since I can't do shit about these computers anyway. Use your time wisely.'

'Iruma-san, what happened? I'm glad to see you're not sulking anymore, but this is a pretty sudden recovery.' Akamatsu grabbed Plastic Moon Buggy Model out of her backpack and reluctantly handed it over to Iruma. 'This is for you, by the way.'

Iruma eyed the model suspiciously, examining it from every angle. Finally, she seemed satisfied. Her eyes sparkled. 'Thanks, Bakamatsu. The one good thing about you is that you know exactly what to give me.'

'Could you answer the question now? Sorry if I'm being nosy,' Akamatsu said, holding back her impatience, 'but I've been worried about you, and this is my first opportunity to ask you about it.'

'Don't bother worrying about me, you bore,' Iruma scoffed. 'I just needed some time off from all you plebs, but I decided to bless you with my presence once again.'

'How am I supposed to not be worried?' Akamatsu asked, losing her patience. She gritted her teeth. 'Why do you act like that? Like you think you're above us, like you don't want us to care?'

'Eek!' Iruma squeaked, flinching. 'I-I am above you, all right! I'm t-the great Iruma Miu, golden girl genius! You worrying about me is insulting!'

'Why are you like this?' Akamatsu asked desperately. 'I know you don't really believe what you're saying, so why do you say all that unnecessary stuff?'

'Unnecessary?' Iruma sniffled, blinking in confusion. 'Hey, I'm just sayin' what I'm already thinkin'! Nothin' I say is wasted words!' she insisted angrily.

'Only children can get away with stuff like that! You can't just say whatever comes into your head, or nobody will want to talk to you at all! Is that what you want?' Akamatsu growled, clenching her fists.

Iruma's eyes widened. She grimaced and leaned forward as if she was going to headbutt Akamatsu. 'Who gives a shit! I'm Iruma fuckin' Miu, and I do whatever the fuck I want! When you're as awesome as me, you can get away with anything!' she cried out, accidentally spitting in Akamatsu's face.

She quieetly wiped it with her sleeve, not breaking eye contact. Despite her words, Iruma didn't seem confident at all. She clearly didn't mean anything she said. Akamatsu took a deep breath.

'Iruma-san, do you have any friends to argue with like you do with me? Do you have anyone?' she asked, trying to keep calm.

'Eh?' Iruma started sweating profusely. 'And wh-what if I don't? I don't fuckin' need to be friends with anyone?'

'We all need someone! When you don't, you can't live to the fullest, you'll just be lonely and miserable!'

'Psh, please,' Iruma scoffed, resting her hands on her hips. 'I don't need any one of you losers as my friends. I am an amazing inventor, remember, that's all I need in life!'

'That's not what it seemed like when Toujou-san was about to be executed,' Akamatsu pointed out, at her wit's end.

Iruma took a step back, cowering as if Akamatsu had slapped her right across the face. Her mouth was open, but no words were coming out.

Akamatsu relaxed her muscles. She didn't want to have to resort to such low blows, but Iruma had given her no choice but to hit where it hurt the most. She made a step towards her, waving her hands apologetically. 'I don't mean to remind you of that. I know you were attached to Toujou-san. Why do you refuse to admit that? It's not bad or embarrassing to care about other people. It's kind of obvious that you care what we think, too. You don't need to be so vulgar, you know? We'd like you anyway.'

'Shut the fuck up. Stop preachin' at me. You just want me to stop b-because your tits ain't as big as mine,' Iruma blurted out, looking away.

'What?! They aren't even small- forget it.' She gave up, shaking her head. 'It just seems to me like you don't know how to interact with us, so you resort to making all those comments.... You don't have to, you know?'

'The comments are a part of my charm!' Iruma argued, resting her hands on her hips, stroking down. 

'I think you'd be way more charming if you stopped making people uncomfortable!' Akamatsu retorted. 'It'll be fine, I promise!'

Iruma looked at her feet. 'Whatever,' she said dismissively. 'You tried, Bakamatsu, I'll give ya that much. But Iruma Miu is unstoppable. At least now I know how to talk to stubborn fucks like you.' She paused to crack her knuckles. 'It's way past the ten minutes I was willing to give you, but I'm feeling charitable so I'll ask if you just came here to remind me my ex is dead and nobody wants to talk to me, or was there something else you wanted?'

'That's not what-' Akamatsu protested, but Iruma cut her off.

'Don't bother. I don't give a shit,' she said flatly. 'Say what you want or scram. I'm 'boutta head down to the warehouse, so make it quick.'

Akamatsu looked into her pouting face. Iruma didn't want to let her see anything she might have been feeling. She could leave her alone, or...

'I have been wondering something about Kiibo-kun, and I thought that maybe you could answer. It's something I don't think I'd be comfortable asking him.'

'If it's about whether he has a dick, the answer is: I'm workin' on it, 'kay?' Iruma interrupted defensively. 'Not just for him, either.'

'What? No, it's not about that!' Akamatsu protested, blushing slightly. She wasn't going to ask who the other person could be that would need a robotic penis. 'I wanted to ask, since Kiibo-kun is in this killing game with us...can he even die?'

Iruma looked at her suspiciously. 'Why, ya plannin' something? Don't even think about it.'

'No, no, I was just asking because I can't imagine how it would work. Since you seem to know how he works, I figured...'

'If you put him in a state where you couldn't turn him back on, Monokuma would probably count that. You'd have to try hard, cuz Kiibs is sturdy. I made sure to upgrade him, as well!' she said with a proud grin. 'So yeah. Don't you dare lay a finger on him or I'll execute ya myself, ya hear?'

'O-of course! I just overheard Ouma-kun talk about it. I would never hurt Kiibo-kun.'

'Ouma? Bitchboy twink? I should keep an eye on him...' Iruma said quietly. She spaced out for a few seconds. 'Okay, girl genius ain't accepting any more questions, so get out of my face. I'm goin' to the warehouse.' Having said that, she left, not even letting Akamatsu say bye.

However, she caught a glimpse of her face. She could have sworn that Iruma was misty-eyed.

***

Filled with a certain sense of guilt, Akamatsu left the computer room. Perhaps it was a bit insensitive to use Toujou's death as ammunition, and then ask about the possibility of Iruma's closest companion being killed...but she couldnt do anything about that at the moment. She just hoped that Iruma get something out of the conversation...

In the meantime, she headed towards the principal's office. The 'DO NOT DISTURB' notice was still gone, so presumably Monokuma was somewhere else. She pushed the door open, taking the opportunity to take a closer look inside without Monokuma shoving her out immediately.

'Kyaaaaaaaaaa!'

_Thud._

Akamatsu instintively turned her head towards the source of both of those noises – which happened to be Shirogane, who had fallen off the principal's chair.

'Oh gosh, are you okay?' Akamatsu asked, running up to her. 'What were you even doing...?' she asked as Shirogane clumsily grabbed onto her hand and pulled herself up.

'Ah, I wanted to pretend to be the principal again. You know, like that time when Monokuma kicked us out of here...it was fun to feel that power, even if it was just pretend,' Shirogane explained, sitting back on the chair.

'It was like you were cosplaying the principal!' Akamatsu remarked supportively, pointing her finger up. She decided not to comment on the part about enjoying the power.

Shirogane deflated noticeably. 'The word you're looking for, Akamatsu-san, is roleplaying, not cosplaying. There is a difference, although many cosplayers roleplay their characters, and many roleplayers cosplay into character better.'

'Oh. Oops, sorry, I'm an ignoramus,' Akamatsu apologised awkwardly. She took something out of her backpack. 'I hope this makes up for that, though,' she added sheepishly.

'Oh gosh, that's perfect!' Shirogane exclaimed, springing forward to grab the gift. It was a Japanese doll wig. 'That's just what I needed, thank you so much!'

'You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. While I have you here, maybe you could tell me more about cosplay,' Akamatsu suggested. 'Cosplaying is basically bringing a character to life, right?'

'Well, that is correct,' Shirogane said hesitantly.

'Hmm...I see. I just don't really understand why you'd go to such lengths to do that,' Akamatsu said cautiously. 'I guess dressing up is fun, but still, I don't really get it.'

'You don't?!' Shirogane was baffled. She looked horrified. 'Hmmm, how do I put this...do you enjoy watching anime, reading manga or books at all?'

'Sometimes,' Akamatsu said diplomatically. 'But I never was like, super into them.'

'That's a bummer. Have you never wished that a certain character were real? Some character you really wished could be your friend? Or one you wanted to be like?' Shirogane continued asking.

'When I was a kid, I had plenty. I wanted to be a hero, or a princess,' Akamatsu mused.

'Well, with cosplay that wish can come true! You can bring your favourite characters to life, or meet them in person when someone else cosplays them! That's why a lot of people get into cosplaying!' Shirogane exclaimed passionately.

'Not me, I'm afraid,' Akamatsu said apologetically. 'I still have no interest in it, sorry. I guess I can see why you would enjoy it, though, since you're into fictional stuff way more than I am. Just like, I guess no matter how much I explain why I enjoy the piano, others will never truly get it.'

'How is that possible?!' Shirogane was shocked. 'To me, it isn't even something I can explain. It just feels right to do it. I can't imagine not being interested in it!' She sighed deeply. 'Really, I've been missing cosplaying a lot in here. That, and just...I miss anime and manga as well...there are some in the rec room, but those are barely scraps...I've been filling time by sewing an outfit for Kiibo-kun, but otherwise...'

'Don't you have anything else you'd want to do?' Akamatsu asked. 

'Other things...?' Shirogane paused for a full minute. They remained in pefect silence and stillness. Akamatsu wasn't even sure if she was blinking. 'I can't think of anything,' she informed finally, with a perfectly blank expression.

'Nothing at all?!' Akamatsu exclaimed.

'Without cosplay and my other otaku hobbies...I've got nothing left! The realisation is crushing me!' Shirogane cried out.

'W-wait a second,' Akamatsu said quickly. 'I'm the same...without my piano, I would have nothing! We should do something about this!'

'Are you suggesting we should pick up a new hobby together? B-but, what could it be?' Shirogane asked, sweating profusely.

'We could do plenty things once we get out of here! It will be much easier. Like, we could go to the cafes or learn to bake,' Akamatsu suggested.

'Baking...that sounds like it requires skill and effort, which I don't have... And going to the cafes means going outside, which I avoid outside of conventions,' Shirogane said hesitantly. She didn't seem convinced.

'You can start casually and improve. I'd help you! And, well, if you hardly leave the house, this would be a fun new experience, right? Especially as you wouldn't be alone – I'd go with you! You have to try new things sometimes, you know?'

'That's true... Going with you makes it sound less scary,' Shirogane admitted with a shy smile. 'Hey, Akamatsu-san, can I ask you something?'

'Me? Sure, fire away!' 

'You said that even if you would explain why you like playing the piano, nobody would really get it. I, um, would still want to hear about it,' she said, playing with her hair. She seemed flustered all of a sudden.

'Oh, that. The reasoning is simple. Playing the piano is fun, but what really matters to me are the smiles it brings. I love making my audience happy, basically.'

'Ahhhh, that's so pure!' Shirogane exclaimed, wide-eyed. 'This is the purest answer you could have given! Befitting of a main character! No doubt, you are the heroine of your own story!'

'Hah, what?' Akamatsu was confused. 'Isn't everyone tehnically the hero of their own story?'

'Oh, believe me, not everyone has that something. I often feel like the background character of my life. I'm rather unremarkable and plain, and my only value is in pretending to be someone much flashier and more interesting than myself. You, on the other hand, stole the starring role in my biography, Akamatsu-san.'

'That's not true,' Akamatsu insisted. 'I have never seen you in cosplay, and yet I think you're a really interesting person! I've never seen someone asenthusiastic as you, for one. The only one who thinks of you as a background character...is you. You're not a fictional character, and neither am I. We're just people, living our lives in our own ways! Besides,' she added with a smile, 'you're my partner in solving this mystery, and I think that's pretty important.'

Shirogane, who had been listening to the speech with sparkling eyes and her mouth wide agape, nnow smiled brightly. 'That was a speech worthy of a protagonist, Akamatsu-san. I will make sure to take it to heart! And to be a better partner. I believe you were right, we should have read the files together. Oh well,' she said with a sigh.

'Hey, it's fine. I'm sure everyone will be reasonable,' Akamatsu assured. 'Well, I'm gonna get going, but it was nice talking to you. Remember to let me know if you notice anything!' she added, waving her hand at Shirogane, who seemed to want to roleplay as the principal some more.

***

Akamatsu slowly went downstairs. There was still plenty of time before nighttime was going to hit, so she decided to play the piano for a bit. Just a bit. It was only 6pm after all, and she wasn't sleepy enough yet, despite the rough time she had the previous night. 

She sat down by the instrument and let her fingers rest on the familiar keys. She sighed deeply, starting to play a slow, quiet song that matched the rhythm of her breathing. 

Her mind was stuck on the motive. She couldn't imagine what the mastermind could have possibly put in hers. She lived her life trying to be a good person, and she liked to think that she was mostly successful. Obviously, she wasn't flawless - she knew that she had a tendency to be bossy, perhaps a bit nosy at times, and often meddled in affairs that didn't concern her. She could be a bit one-track-minded and stubborn, especially when she was met with opposing opinions from equally stubborn people. 

None of those things made good blackmail material, though…everyone who knew her could tell that she was that kind of person. She'd always been made fun of for being so focused on the piano, and criticised for being bossy…so neither of those things could hurt her too much. 

Was there something that she wasn't aware of? Something she didn't know about her family, perhaps? She had a pretty normal life, all things considered…it could even be considered boring. She wasn't particularly good at anything except the piano. She was a happy, hard-working child. There didn't seem to be anything to find there, either. 

The only possibility, she thought, as her fingers slid across the keyboard, was that she did something in the period that Monokuma erased from her memory. According to Toujou, she remembered, that would have to be at least two years…which is a long time but she still couldn't imagine anything that bad happened. 

Therefore, she figured, getting up from her seat, there was nothing to worry about whatsoever. No matter who received her envelope, they wouldn't find anything worth getting upset over. For sure! The mastermind couldn't do anything to hurt her. 

With that encouraging thought, she left the music room and skipped downstairs. A wide, determined smile formed on her lips. As always, playing the piano helped her think and calm down. She didn't know what she would do without it. In this awful place, sometimes it was her only solace. 

As she walked past the library, the door opened. She instinctively dodged it, leaping forward. She almost lost her balance, but managed to not fall over. 

'You need to stop doing that,' Harukawa remarked, looking at her from the doorstep. She was hugging a few books against her chest, having opened the door with the other hand. 'I'm starting to think you're timing it on purpose.'

Akamatsu, initially confused, realised that this wasn't the first time that she walked past the library door exactly she n Harukawa was opening it. 'Maybe you're timing it to open the door everytime I walk past,' she retorted half-jokingly. 

'Yes, I definitely have nothing better to do than stand by the door and wait for you to walk down the hall,' Harukawa said sarcastically, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

'Harukawa-san, you really like the library, don't you?' Akamatsu prompted, changing the topic. 'I see you here a lot.'

Harukawa took a step back defensively. She pursed her lips. Every muscle in her body seemed tense. Finally, she sighed, releasing all the pressure. 'I guess you could say that,' she admitted. 'We didn't have many books at the orphanage, and we obviously had to share them with other kids. Most of what we had available were bedtime stories and such. It's convenient to have an actual library here, if nothing else.'

'I guess I never took enough interest in books,' Akamatsu said sheepishly. 'Maybe I should try finding something in the library.'

'You really need hobbies outside of the piano, so this is your best bet,' Harukawa remarked. 

'Hey!' Akamatsu protested. She may have had that same thought earlier, but it was still not pleasant to hear it from someone else. 'Nevermind that. Do you have any recommendations? I don't know if I'd like whatever it is you're into, but…'

'You wouldn't,' Harukawa said simply. 'What would I recommend for you…?' she stopped to ponder the question for a while. 'Maybe poetry. You'd be better off asking Shirogane, really, when it comes to fiction. I'm sure what I like would bore you. With that said, I'm going to go,if you'll excuse me,' she said, heading down the hall. 

'It was nice talking to you!' Akamatsu exclaimed at her back. 

Harukawa stopped and narrowed her eyes at her with a blank expression. 'Was it really?' she asked in a rather disinterested tone. She then pursed her lips and kept walking, away from Akamatsu. 

She entered the library, just out of curiosity. The smell of books in the air felt oddly comforting, even though she'd only been to libraries a few times before. The variety of content intimidated her, but made her crave knowledge. Perhaps something in here could inspire her. 

Or maybe she would find the book that kept coming back to her in flashes, but she couldn't remember the name, or the author… She was pretty sure that the mastermind must have messed with her memory of that book, somehow,only leaving her with the very vague sense of familiarity. 

Killing game. Surveillance. Government. Waking up in an unfamiliar school and being told to kill each other. All those things she definitely recalled reading about. She smiled bitterly, realising that she'd probably enjoyed the book, rooting for her favourites to make it out okay, but having lived a similar experience, she would never want to pick it back up once she leaves this place, if she ever finds it again. Amazing how much that changed. 

She walked down the aisles, passing many unfamiliar titles, many names that didn't ring any bells. The library seemed to be stacked with crime- and death-related literature…that couldn't have been the original content. The mastermind must have replaced everything in this perfectly normal library, right?

Eventually, she reached some less unsettling works - the poetry section. She grabbed a random small book that seemed to contain random works. Perhaps she would find something she could compose music for.

She stuffed the book into her backpack and left the library. She may not have found the book she was thinking of, but at least she was leaving with possible inspiration. 

Not just the poems. Above all else, she was oddly inspired by Harukawa. Was she starting to warm up to her, at least a little? 

Akamatsu smiled to herself. It was an absurd thought but she really was sure that Harukawa cared about everyone but refused to let it show. She was so against all group efforts, that was true, but she always ended up finding solutions for things, like the breakfast issue… 

Perhaps Akamatsu could learn something from her. Or maybe, they should just continue working separately. The results so far weren't the worst. 

…did Harukawa just pretend to be so suspicious of her? 

THUD! 

Akamatsu didn't have time to wonder about it more, as she heard a loud noise that startled her. She brought her hand up to her heart and breathed heavily before sprinting down the hall. The source of the noise seemed to be somewhere in the gym. 

Akamatsu was starting to get tired of constantly hearing concerning sounds, especially from that area of the school. She just prayed that it wasn't anything too serious this time, either. That's all she had left. 

The door to the gym was slightly open. That calmed her down somewhat. Nobody would be trying to commit murder without closing the door right? She went inside quickly, taking quiet steps so as not to alert whoever was inside. 

'What's going on here…?' she asked immediately, looking inside with her mouth wide agape. 

In the middle of the gym stood Tenko, breathing heavily, looking down with her hand extended towards Momota, who was sitting on the floor, scratching his head with an awkward smile.

As soon as they heard her, both of them looked up towards her. Tenko started waving at her, while Momota got up from the floor on his own. It seemed like he had landed on his tailbone, since he was rubbing that area. Akamatsu walked closer. 

'Hey guys, I uh, heard a loud noise so I wanted to make sure that everything is okay,' she explained awkwardly. 'I hope nobody got hurt…?' 

'Worry not, Kaede-san! Tenko decided to not harm this menace for now. We are not fighting,' Tenko said, raising one hand. 

'Yeah, the rivalry is temporarily off while we're talking,' Momota added. 'Though, we're probably not explaining it too well.'

'Explain it better, then. What's going on? What rivalry?' Akamatsu asked, crossing her arms. 

'Chabashira and I aren't too fond of each other. I can't really blame her, and you already know I wasn't used to being around women who could kick my ass. So I avoided proper confrontation…' Momota explained quickly. 

'Tenko still beat you in every way possible!' she pointed out, laughing proudly. 'The cinnamon challenge was her victory, and she was even better at guarding the bodies!' 

'That's fair,' he admitted reluctantly. 'It kept pissing me off, along with my own hangups that I'm not proud of. So when we both ended up here at the same time, we decided to talk it out.'

'Tenko graciously decided to accept Momota-san's request to hear him out,' she said, looking away from him. 'Even though she really didn't want to, and usually she would just tell him to leave her presence.'

'I see…but if you were just talking, how did you end up on the floor, Momota-kun?' Akamatsu asked, looking between the two of them. She couldn't tell if they were getting along or not, but at least they didn't seem to be at each other's throats. 

'Oh, that. Well, I remembered that thing Chabashira said about flipping people,' Momota said, scratching his goatee. 

'Oh, like with…Angie-san,' Akamatsu said hesitantly, glancing at Tenko. She shuddered slightly but nodded her head. 

'Yes. The technique that allows Tenko to look into the heart of her opponent and determine certain things about their intentions. That is…indeed what she used when Angie-san asked her to, in order to prove that her intentions were pure,' Tenko confirmed, her voice cracking just a bit when she mentioned Angie. Akamatsu's heart skipped a beat. 

'I thought that maybe the way to finally stop fighting with Chabashira would be to let her see what my intentions are,' Momota said with a chuckle. 

'Momota-san wouldn't be his terrible self if he didn't not only remind Tenko of her lowest moment, but made her repeat it,' she muttered bitterly. 'But Tenko agreed. And, as you can see, she resisted the urge to give Momota-san a concussion, even though he deserves it.'

'I told her that I would only agree to being flipped if she managed to catch and immobilise me…'

'...and Tenko did!' she said proudly. 'It was a piece of cake!' 

Momota looked like he wanted to clarify something, but he decided against it. Whatever it was, he decided it wasn't very flattering for him, Akamatsu guessed. 

'What's the verdict?' she asked instead. 'Is Momota-kun valid, or…?' 

'Right, she didn't tell me yet. Chabashira, what am I? Tell me!' Momota begged, his eyes sparkling noticeably. He couldn't even play it cool - did he genuinely care? Akamatsu resisted the urge to snicker. 

'According to Tenko's judgement,' she started, and paused dramatically, '...Momota-san is incredibly stupid, terribly insecure, and very annoying! But…he also isn't the worst menace she's ever met. Deep down, his goals are similar to Tenko's, he's just going about them all wrong, as a man would.' She smiled proudly, resting her hands on her hips. 

'That's not the worst thing I've heard about myself,' Momota said with a crooked smile. 'I think Harumaki has said much worse about me. I doubt she even believes that I have any good intentions.'

'Can you blame her? You are not very good at respecting her boundaries,' Tenko scolded, pursing her lips. 

'That's fair. I went about it all wrong. I should apologise to her sometime. I just wish she was nicer sometimes, you know?' he said with a sigh. 'Not like she owes me anything!' he added defensively. 

'I think that Harukawa-san is a rather tender person,' Tenko said quietly, fiddling her thumbs. 'It just doesn't manifest in the same ways as, say, Toujou-san. She will tell you what you might find hurtful…but it will help. That's what Tenko thinks.'

Akamatsu smiled at her softly. 'I think so, too. Harukawa-san worked with children, after all, and you can't be too soft with them. I imagine, at least. You need to scold them sometimes and all…so that's how she helps.'

'That makes sense. I'm just not used to girls being so brutal,' Momota said, glancing at Tenko. 'I think you helped me get over myself a bit, though. We should spar again sometime, if you want.'

'So Tenko can defeat you again? Gladly!' she said with a grin, puffing out her chest. 'Well, Tenko will go now. She needs something to drink.'

'I'll stay here for a bit. Maybe Ryouma will join me for another match, and then I have something I need to do,' Momota said, stretching his arms. 

'What are you going to do?' Akamatsu asked when Tenko left the gym, waving goodbye at her. 

'I can't tell you, but it's nothing big. Just something I've been meaning to do. By the way,' he added out of the blue, 'sorry about outing you. I know that happened a while ago,' he stammered, scratching his head nervously, 'but I kept forgetting to apologise properly, with everything else that was going on.'

'Oh, don't worry about it,' Akamatsu said with a reassuring smile. 'I'm not mad. It happens, and nothing bad came out of it as far as I know. Just don't do it again.'

'I definitely won't. Trying to get better, you know? Can't be a good hero when you fuck up like that,' he said, giving her a thumbs up. 

Akamatsu chuckled into her hand and left him alone in the gym. Hopefully Hoshi would get to join him before the gym closed. 

She went towards the dorms but paused in front of her door. 

She took a deep breath. 

'Hey, Monokuma?' she called out. Perhaps this wasn't the best place to talk to him, but, she figured, the rooms were soundproof. Nobody was going to hear her - and even if they did, she had nothing to hide. 

'You called?' Monokuma asked, popping up right next to her with a curious grin. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

'I have some questions for you, about the envelopes,' she said flatly. 

'I'm all ears! Pinky promise to answer honestly,' he added, giggling into his paws. 

'You don't have a pinky,' she pointed out, in case the bear was looking for a loophole. 

'Fine, it's a paw promise! Now, what is it? I'd love to chat with you, but I have to make the nighttime announcement in like, ten minutes or so.'

'Can you tell me if anybody has read their envelope yet?' she asked quickly, narrowing her eyes at him. 

'Ohoho, I see, asking behind their back in case they might lie to you, well played, Akamatsu-san, I see you really trust your friends. The answer is, yes, of course, many of them, you're kinda behind. I won't tell you who, that would ruin the fun. I also won't tell you if your dirt has been found out yet, if you were going to ask.'

Akamatsu groaned. She was tempted to ask about that, despite believing there was nothing dirty in her files. 'I don't care about that. I'm honest. It's not my style to hide anything. That said, tell me…is everything in the files true?' she then asked, taking out her ID to open the door. 

'Yep, of course. A bear doesn't lie. And this time, I can assure you all of the information is about the right person and not ambiguous, in case you were curious. Upupu~'

Akamatsu hesitated. She bit her bottom lip. 'I see. Thanks.'

'Are you sure there's nothing else you're curious about?' the bear prompted, tilting his head. 'You seem awfully confident, Akamatsu-san, I'm almost impressed.'

'No. Leave me alone now,' she whispered, opening the door. She knit her eyebrows, not thinking about him anymore. 

Monokuma shrugged and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared. A few moments later, the nighttime announcement rang out throughout the halls in his piercing voice. Akamatsu paid no mind to it at that time. 

She grabbed the envelope as soon as she entered the room. She stared at it for a while, running her fingers along the edges, and set it down on the table, not opening it. She still couldn't decide if she should examine it or not. She didn't want to play into the mastermind's plans…but it seemed like nearly everyone else already did, according to Monokuma. 

In that state of inner conflict weighing on her chest, she fell back onto the bed and immediately fell into shallow sleep. 

***

MONOKUMA THEATER:

The phrase 'the past will come back to haunt you' is interesting, isn't it? 

No matter how well you hide your tracks and how good a liar you are, you can never be sure that you're safe. 

If at least one person knows, you might be found out. Isn't that thrilling? 

I don't understand why people find that so terrifying. Whether you regret something depends entirely on you, you know? 

Just live with no regrets! No secrets! Tell people everything about yourself upfront! This way nobody can ever blackmail you! There are no downsides! 

What is it, you don't want to tell people that you're a serial killer? That you betrayed your old best friend and you might do it again? 

Well, that's your problem, not mine, right? I'm just giving you advice from a bear who's never done a single thing wrong! 

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a mess lately but here we go, hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> And happy pride month!


	38. Chapter 4: Daily Life 6

Akamatsu woke up right before the morning announcement and rubbed her eyes.

She didn't get nightmares that night, but she did feel uneasy for some reason. Then again, as she figured, it was natural to feel uneasy when one is in a killing game...

She sat up on the bed and stretched out her arms. Perhaps today was going to be a good day. There were certain plans she had that would finally cure her indecision regarding the motive.

She knelt down next to her bed and grabbed the previous envelope, the one about her memories. Seeing her own name printed on it, again, made her shudder. How much could the mastermind possibly know?

She got up from her knees and set the envelope down on her desk, next to the new one. The difference in thickness was pretty interesting... Even so, neither of them seemed to hold all that much material.

The final decision that Akamatsu had come to was as follows: she was going to go to the group breakfast, see everyone there, and then come back to her room and read the files. She couldn't resist the urge to read them anymore, but first she needed to eat and make sure everyone else is doing okay.

She promised herself that, no matter what she finds out, she would remain fair and level-headed, but, knowing herself, it was best to avoid confrontation first thing in the morning. Especially with Harukawa opposing everything she would have said.

Akamatsu washed her face and fixed her hair. She was ready to face the day, no matter what it brought.

After checking that both of the envelopes were safe and making sure not to forget her student ID, she walked out the room and down the hall. At this hour, barely after the morning announcement, the school was still quiet, as the students were still getting ready.

Despite that, as Akamatsu noticed, Harukawa was already at the cafeteria, preparing morning coffee, when she noticed the pianist from the corner of her eye.

'You're up early,' she said flatly, picking up her cup.

'So are you,' Akamatsu retorted with a chuckle. 'I went to bed early last night, so that's probably why I'm already ready to go.'

'I'm always up early,' Harukawa said, clearly not interested in Akamatsu's sleeep schedule. 'That's what I'm used to, I guess. Back at the orphanage, I'd wake up before the younger kids to help set everything up.'

'I guess that's what you're doing for us, too!' Akamatsu pointed out. 'I mean, you're helping us stay organised.'

Harukawa rolled her eyes. 'Some of you do act like children. That's the only similarity.' She sighed putting the cup in the sink. 'I haven't slept well last night. I wish I could rest more,' she whispered, more to herself than Akamatsu.

'Maybe you can nap later today?' Akamatsu suggested, grabbing her tea and walking over to the table.

'Maybe,' Harukawa said in a hollow voice, glancing at her. 'Good morning, Kiibo.'

Akamatsu looked towards the door. Kiibo had just walked in with a smile, waving at both of them. Behind him, Iruma followed reluctantly, grumbling under her breath. It seemed that she hadn't slept well, either.

In the next minutes, the cafeteria filled with people. Sleepy faces, rubbing their eyes, some seeming rather anxious, but there weren't any too concerning signs. Akamatsu found it kind of ironic that, after a few rough nights, she finally had a calm one while everyone else seemed tired.

The other thing different about the atmosphere was that the conversations were unusually quiet. She assumed that it was because everyone was so sleepy, but then someone made an observation that sounded sinister the more she thought about it.

'Hey, where's Momota-kun?' Shirogane asked, looking around the cafeteria nervously.

'In hell, probably,' Ouma suggested.

'Maybe he hasn't woken up yet,' Hoshi mused, sucking on his candy cigarette. 'We played tennis until they closed the gym, and he said he's planning to stay up late.'

'It's still weird...he never misses breakfast,' Shirogane pointed out, sweating profusely. 'Maybe we should check on him?'

'I think it wouldn't hurt to check how he's doing, even if he turns out to be asleep,' Akamtsu said. 'We can do that after we're done eating. Whoever wants in can come!'

Harukawa rolled her eyes.

Iruma left the cafeteria first, heading towards the warehouse. She said that she was too busy being a genius inventor to spend any more time with the group. Ouma followed soon after, not specifying where he was going.

Momota still hadn't joined them as more and more time passed. 

Akamatsu took a deep breath. She had to check what was going on.

And then, she would look at her files. That was still the plan.

***

Akamatsu, Kiibo, Hoshi and Shirogane went to the dorms to check on Momota. Nobody was talking - they were all focused, led by a sense of uneasiness. 

The door didn't look any different than usual. Everything seemed normal, and yet…the atmosphere was tense. 

A finger on the doorbell, not pressing it yet. A gulp. Then, finally, Akamatsu rang the bell, holding her breath. One second, two seconds, three, five, fifteen… Shirogane started banging on the door. Although physically impossible, Kiibo's face seemed to be turning so pale it was almost blue. 

Between the doorbell and the banging, he would have woken up by now, right? It was so loud, Akamatsu felt herself getting a migraine, so it had to have shocked Momota awake by now, right? 

Then why hasn't he answered the door yet? 

Akamatsu let go of the doorbell, so suddenly that it seemed like it had burnt her finger. 

'I do not mean to be negative,' Kiibo remarked sheepishly, 'but I do believe that Momota-kun is probably not here. We should go looking for him. Perhaps he is in trouble?' 

Akamatsu nodded, biting her bottom lip. At this point, Momota being anywhere else seemed safer than him, say having passed out in his room. 

'I'll check if he's at the gym,' Hoshi said. 'He might have gone there before breakfast to break up the routine. I wouldn't be surprised.'

'Sure, that's a good idea,' Akamatsu said weakly. Neither of them seemed genuinely confident in that possibility, but it was something to cling onto. 

'I shall check the third floor. I recall that Momota-kun had interest in the rec room, or perhaps he wanted to look at Angie-san's memorial. I know many people have been visiting it. Besides, I might take the opportunity to see if there is anything I can do with the laundry.'

'Oh, then I will check the fourth floor! Maybe Momota-kun was trying to find the exit again, or he tried his hand at fixing the computers,' Shirogane mused. 'Maybe he found a way to get out through the ceiling, after all, and just left without us…'

'I don't think he would do that,' Akamatsu said with a crooked smile. 'I will check on the second floor. Who knows, maybe he suddenly got interested in music or chemistry? Okay guys, let's go! Ask everyone if they'd seen him, alright? He has to be somewhere in the school!' she said, pumping her fists. 

Everyone nodded, but they didn't seem all too confident. The aura of uncertainty was too dense to overcome with a simple pep talk. 

She just had to believe that he was fine. He had to be. 

***

Right as Akamatsu approached the staircase, she looked towards the warehouse. Perhaps Iruma had seen Momota? It wouldn't hurt to ask. She doubted that she would find him in the music room, anyway. 

'Iruma-san?' she called out, entering the warehouse. 'I just wanted to ask if you've seen Momota-kun.' 

Iruma popped out from behind a cardboard box and walked towards Akamatsu, pushing her out of the warehouse. 

'I don't know shit, okay?' she said, avoiding eye contact. 'I haven't seen him in ages. Why, a-are you suspecting me of somethin'? I didn't do anythin'! I have no idea where he is!'

Akamatsu blinked. From anybody else, this behaviour would seem suspicious. In the case of Iruma, she couldn't tell how genuine it was. 

'I'm not suspecting you of anything!' she assured. 'Were just trying to find him, since we checked in his room and he didn't answer.'

'He might be asleep. Doesn't seem like a light sleeper,' Iruma mused. 

'Could you tell me if you see him? I'll be upstairs. I'd really appreciate it!' Akamatsu requested, grabbing Iruma's hands. 

The inventor's face flushed red as she began breathing heavily. She looked away, biting her bottom lip. 'I-if I see him I might let you know...maybe. I'm busy, after all, and it's a pain in the ass to go upstairs…'

'Please?' Akamatsu asked, looking up at her with a determined expression. 

Iruma groaned under her breath. 'I'll see what I can do, fine, jeez...you're so annoying, Bakamatsu…' she muttered. 

Akamatsu let go of her hands, bowed her head, and left the warehouse. She then finally skipped up the stairs to continue her search. 

***

Unfortunately, Momota was nowhere to be found around the 'harmony tree' where she hoped to see him. He didn't believe in its significance, but he still would hang around there from time to time.

He was not in the music room, either, but Akamatsu decided to stay inside there for just a bit. 

She sat down and looked at Angie's sculptures of all the participants. It was quite disheartening to realise that half of them depicted people who were no longer there. How many more had to fall until this mindless game ends? 

Will it continue until nobody is left? 

She wasn't going to allow that. She would never allow that. Everyday, she grew more confident in the idea that she might simply have to set up some sort of a trap for the mastermind. The only issue was that she had no idea how to do that. 

For now, she had to find Momota, hopefully alive and well. 

She got up from her seat and walked out the door. 

'Oh, Akamatsu-san, I'm so glad I ran into you!' 

She turned around Shirogane had just run down the stairs and was now breathing heavily. Her face was pale. 

'Shirogane-san, what happened? Did you find Momota-kun?' Akamatsu asked, looking behind her in confusion. Momota wasn't with her, so why…? 

'I didn't,' Shirogane clarified, shaking her head frantically. 'But I found something else that seemed significant… B-but I didn't want to do anything about it without asking you…'

'Well, let's go see it, then!' Akamatsu decided, rushing upstairs, dragging Shirogane along by the wrist. 'Where is it?' 

'U-um…' Shirogane stuttered dizzily. 'Th-the…storage door…you will know when you see it.'

A chill ran down Akamatsu's spine. She was about to be startled again, as she ran into Kiibo, followed by Ouma, who had just come out of the art room. 

'Agh!' she shrieked, digging her heels into the floor. Shirogane immediately ran into her back and screamed. 

'Akamatsu-chan, Shirogane-chan, don't run in the halls!' Ouma said cheerfully. 

'Ouma-kun, I had no idea you actually care about safety,' Kiibo remarked in shock. 

'I don't! You fell for it!' Ouma exclaimed, giggling into his hand. 'But, hey, why are you running? For real?' he added, looking at Akamatsu curiously. 

'We were looking for Momota-kun and Shirogane-san found something upstairs,' Akamatsu explained. 'I need to check it out.'

Ouma's catlike eyes widened as his lips curled into a mischievous smile. 'Is that so? Let's check it out together,' he proposed, grabbing Kiibo’s wrist. 

'I didn't find anything related to Momota-kun on this floor,' Kiibo informed. 'I just found Ouma-kun, who jumped out at me from the dark room.'

'I didn't find Momota-chan in there either!' Ouma added. 'I was looking for something else, but I think I would have noticed his dumb ugly face and elongated body.'

Akamatsu, who had already headed towards the staircase, looked back at him curiously. 'What were you looking for there?' 

'I thought you were in a hurry, Akamatsu-chan?' Ouma teased, tilting his head. 'I will tell you later, be patient for once!' 

Akamatsu shook her head as she walked up the stairs. She was not in the mood for secrets. 

***

The four of them stood in front of the storage door. Shirogane pointed at the doorknob, her hand shaking. 

'S-see? There's something there…'

Akamatsu looked closely. There were dark red stains on the knob and around it. Really, they seemed like… 

'Dried blood,' Ouma pointed out gleefully, looking over Akamatsu's shoulder. Startled, she almost hit him in the face with her elbow. 

'B-blood…' Shirogane whispered. She seemed like she was about to faint right there. Kiibo walked over to be able to catch her if that were to happen. 

'It might be blood,' Akamatsu said, scratching the door with her fingernail. She could smell the faint scent of blood…it was rather nauseating. 'I'm pretty sure it is blood,' she added weakly. 

'Soooo, are you just going to stand in front of the door, or…?' Ouma teased. Akamatsu glanced at his face. He was grinning, but his eyes still revealed that he was probably as scared to open it as she was. 

'H-how did blood get on there?' Shirogane asked, leaning against Kiibo, who was patting her shoulder. 

'We won't know until we open it,' Akamatsu said firmly, grabbing the doorknob. 'I'll count to three…one, two-' 

Ouma grabbed her wrist and twisted it downwards, opening the door. 

Then, everything happened at once. 

As soon as the door opened, the smell of blood hit their nostrils at full force. Not only blood, there was another sort of smell, even more overwhelming. Akamatsu covered her mouth to avoid throwing up. 

Shirogane screamed behind her and she heard a loud noise. Glancing back, she noticed that she was safe in Kiibo’s arms. He seemed terrified, but he did what he had to do. 

Ouma's face was even paler than usually, but he was still smiling, looking down at the floor. 

Akamatsu looked down at the same moment as the body discovery announcement played above their heads, and echoed all over the school, informing the others that the killing game was about to continue with yet another investigation and trial, and another execution... 

Akamatsu felt her head spin as she screamed, and screamed, and fell down on her knees…or maybe she simply imagined that, and indeed she was just standing at the door, looking down at the floor of the storage room…

...Looking at the corpse of Momota Kaito, SHSL Astronaut, who was lying face down by the door, with his stomach slashed open, in a room filled with the scent of his own blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter one but I think y'all can excuse that ;+)
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/cosmonaut030/art/Himiko-Yumeno-800113341  
> https://www.deviantart.com/cosmonaut030/art/Korekiyo-and-Kirumi-800180490  
> we got fanart!


	39. Chapter 4: Investigation

And so, it had happened again, despite Akamatsu's hopes that she would be wrong, that Momota's disappearance wasn't related to murder but was simply a result of him, say, exploring the school.

Another person committed a murder, and now the others had to figure out who did it. Who decided to take another's life, and why.

How many more trials would they have to participate in?

Those thoughts and many others ran through Akamatsu's head as she stared at Momota's dead body lying by her feet. If not for the body discovery announcement, which she barely registered in her daze, she would have assumed that it was just a really good practical effect...

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her mouth. Unfortunately, what she was seeing was the truth, and someone did it...there was no time to get sentimental.

Once she snapped out of her breakdown, she noticed that Ouma was gone. She was about to get concerned, until the realisation hit: he probably went downstairs to tell the others where the body was discovered. In a way, she was grateful for that, since otherwise she would have to do it herself, which she definitely didn't feel up to.

'Akamatsu-san, are you doing alright?' Kiibo asked, concerned. He was still holding Shirogane's limp, temporarily unconscious body.

'I'm as fine as I can be,' Akamatsu said, welcoming the opportunity to tear her eyes away from the body. 'Kiibo-kun, can you even smell the blood?' she asked, realising that she had taken it for granted that he would.

'No. I presume building the sense of smell into me wasn't a priority,' he explained. 'Although, it seems to be a blessing in this case,' he added, looking at Shirogane's pale face.

'Yeah, count yourself lucky. I wish I didn't have to smell all of this...' Akamatsu remarked, grimacing. She resented the thought that her reaction to seeing a friend's dead body was so physical, as if it were any piece of rotting meat.

'There it is!' Ouma's voice exclaimed from the stairs as he led the remaining students onto the floor and towards the door. 'I told you it's gross!'

Hoshi quietly pulled his hat over his eyes. Tenko gasped into her hands. It appeared that the sight was too much even for her. Harukawa eyed the body emotionlessly with her arms crossed. Akamatsu figured that she wasn't too fond of Momota...but even she had to find this disturbing, right?

'Eugh!' Iruma gagged, sticking out her tongue. 'Fuckin' disgusting! I-I can't look...' she looked at Kiibo who was still holding Shirogane, now awakened by the commotion. 'What happened to this bitch, Kiibs?' she asked, pointing her finger at her.

'Shirogane-san lost consciousness!' Kiibo explained. 'It appears that the smell of blood overwhelmed her.'

'Hm,' she hummed. 'That's some weak-ass shit. 'Fraid of some blood, ya nerd?'

'Iruma-chan, I thought you can't look either?' Ouma pointed out innocently, balancing on his heels. He chuckled as Iruma looked at him with bloodlust in her eyes.

'Sh-shut the fuck up!' she retorted defensively, stomping her foot in his direction.

'You bastards can't stop arguing for five seconds, huh?' Monokuma's voice interrupted suddenly. 'Even over someone's dead body! That's what I like to see!'

'Monokuma. Just give us the file and go,' Harukawa demanded, glaring at the bear.

'Yeah, fuck off!' Iruma added, sticking out her tongue.

'It's too early in the morning to have to deal with both a murder and your antics,' Hoshi said tiredly.

'Wow, you guys are being so rude to me. What did I ever do to you?' Monokuma said, taking a step back and cowering.

'Are you joking?' Tenko asked, looking down at him and clenching her fists. 'Do not mock Tenko and everyone else like that! It's your fault that we're in this killing game! It's because of you that half of us are dead!' Her shoulders shook with dejected rage.

'Tenko-san, just ignore him. It's not worth it. That's what he wants,' Akamatsu said in a calming voice , rubbing her shoulder.

'It's because of me, really?' Monokuma asked, putting his paw up to his mouth. 'All I did was give you information. You bastards are the ones who decided that it's a good enough reason to kill some poor sap! Don't blame that on me! Anyway, since I'm clearly not wanted here, here you go,' he added with a grin. The student IDs beeped, notifying them that they had received the Monokuma File for this case.

The bear himself bowed his head. 'See you bastards in two hours!' he cackled before disappearing, leaving the remaining eight alone with Momota's dead body.

Akamatsu took a deep breath. So it was starting again. She had to pull herself together.

***

INVESTIGATION: START

First, a look at the Monokuma File… 

_The victim is Momota Kaito.  
He died sometime between midnight and 9am.  
There are multiple wounds on his body, including an open wound on his stomach, and a cut on the back of his neck, as well as mild head trauma. He lost quite a lot of blood. There are signs of struggle. _

'What a cruel murder…' Akamatsu whispered, looking down at the body. 

'This place fuckin' reeks,' Iruma complained, 'if I stay here any longer, I'm gonna fuckin' puke!' she continued as she left the storage room, pinching her nose. She then headed downstairs, presumably to the warehouse. 

'We should investigate as quickly as possible,' Shirogane pointed out, looking green in the face herself. 'This can't be healthy for us.'

'I'll guard the body, just in case,' Hoshi offered, looking at the floor indifferently. 'I can't get any worse anyway.'

'Hoshi-kun…' Akamatsu said softly, but her thoughts were interrupted by Tenko.

'Tenko will guard the body as well!' she insisted, pounding her chest and biting her bottom lip. Perhaps that was the most appropriate thing for her to do, considering their old rivalry over guarding Gonta's corpse…

'Th-then if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick…' Shirogane said weakly. Kiibo ran after her and helped her stand upright. It almost seemed like a waste - perhaps he should have been the one to guarf the body, since the scent of blood didn't bother him. Nobody managed to suggest that before he ran off, though. 

Akamatsu pinched her nose and took a deep breath through her mouth. It was time to join Harukawa in examining the body. 

The child caregiver was examining his stomach wound. She had stepped into a puddle of blood, but didn't seem to mind. In fact, she wasn't fazed by the state of the body at all…or she was just hiding her feelings really well. 

'The file is vague about the time of death,' Akamatsu pointed out. 'Do you have any idea when it happened? I'm guessing it's been a while, since the blood is dry…'

'That'd be correct,' Harukawa agreed. 'He definitely wasn't killed in the past hour or two, or even three. The body is already cold and rigor mortis had set in. I would even say that it's started to rot, so presumably it's been a few hours at the least…'

Akamatsu shuddered. 'Someone must have lured him out here in the middle of the night…just like with Gonta-kun and Amami-kun.' 

'Maybe,' Harukawa said vaguely. 'Don't you think the wound is rather odd?' She asked, turning the body onto its back to expose the wound on his stomach, a mess of blood and guts. 

'Odd how?' Akamatsu asked, looking down at it and shuddering. It wasn't a pleasant sight in the slightest. 

Hoshi approached them as well, looking down and rubbing his chin. 'Hmm. I think I see what you mean, Harukawa. His stomach seems to have been slashed all the way from left to right, as if he committed seppuku.'

'I didn't think of that,' Akamatsu admitted. 'I don't think he did that, though. There is a wound on the back of his neck, too, and I don't think he would be able to give himself that one.'

'He probably could if he tried, but I'm not sure what the point would be,' Hoshi remarked calmly. 

'Probably not,' Harukawa informed. 'The wound on his neck seems really…precise. I'm not sure if he could have hit it. It's not impossible, though. Not for that reason, at least. It seems impossible because he should still be holding the weapon if he did it himself.'

'The weapon, huh… Jeez, this is so gory,' Akamatsu muttered, covering her mouth. 'Why did someone mutilate the body this much…?' 

'Someone didn't like Momota-chan very much, it seems,' a voice remarked from near the floor. 

Just then, she noticed that Ouma was crouching by the body and looking in one spot curiously. 

'Ouma-kun, did you find something?' Akamatsu asked suspiciously. 

'Uh huh. Under the body,' he said, pointing his finger. 'Can you roll his stupid body over so I can get it?' he demanded, looking up at Harukawa. 

She complied without a word. There was blood all over her hands now, but she still didn't seem to mind all that much. Ouma pounced forward and grabbed whatever it was that was hidden under Momota's body. He got up and tried to sprint out of the room, but Akamatsu stopped him by reaching her arm out in front of him. 

'Show me,' she demanded. 'We should not keep evidence to ourselves.'

'Aww, Akamatsu-sensei, do I really have to share with the class?' Ouma asked mockingly, puckering his lips. 'Fiiiine, but I don't think you wanna touch it. It's pretty gross. Covered in Momota-chan's blood.'

'What even is it?' Harukawa asked, tapping her foot. 'Tell us.'

'It's just one of those stupid envelopes from Momokuma,' Ouma informed, holding it up as proof. The envelope really looked rather horrifying, covered in dark blood. As Akamatsu noticed, it had already been opened. 'Now let's see what's inside!' Ouma said cheerfully as he grabbed the paper from the envelope. 

Akamatsu looked over his shoulder, and she immediately froze. 

The file…was about the victim, Momota Kaito. 

It said the following, which Ouma read out loud:

_Momota Kaito, known as the Super High School Level Astronaut, was actually not an astronaut at all, but a failed trainee, rejected for health reasons as well as not passing certain exams. Anything he might have claimed about his skills related to his training, such as fluency in multiple languages, was not actually true._

_His health, as well as his other results, along with the fact he broke the law and lied about his age to start training in high school, prevented him from continuing onto the path to becoming a full-fledged professional._

_Upon hearing the news, he physically assaulted the messenger, sending them to intensive care, and him - to anger management, where he remained for months until it was decided that he could rejoin society._

_His history of aggression doesn't start or end on that incident, as he had also seriously injured many of his classmates during arguments. His signature moves in that regard were the choke hold and the right hook._

_He attempted to make up for his illness - a blood condition - by working out to remain physically fit. However, that wasn't enough to get him where he wanted, and as a result only exacerbated his violent tendencies._

_His other ambition in life, becoming a hero, was mostly shaped by his love for comic books, and it appears that he thought that the way to become a hero is to punch those you see as your rivals, or villains. That apparently included those who stood in the way of his dream, such as the aforementioned messenger._

_Since his anger management therapy, he seemed to have calmed down somewhat, though it is unclear if he simply bottles up his violent impulses, or if he successfully learned to control them. His language remains harsh and aggressive, and his competitive streak is still very much present._

_The programme ('killing game') is to determine if the effects of the anger management treatment are deeply rooted or superficial, since Momota Kaito himself will not remember the incidents related to it._

Akamatsu glanced at Ouma as he read the file, delivering every line loud and clear. She noticed that at the mention of the choke hold, he brought his hand up to his own throat, and his voice cracked almost unnoticeably - her trained ears caught it though. 

The memory of Momota holding him up against the wall with his hand wrapped around Ouma's thin neck, made Akamatsu's face go pale. So…that's how it it… That explained quite a lot… 

'The programme?' Tenko repeated, knitting her eyebrows. 'What does that mean? Also, it seems that Tenko was wrong…about Momota-san not being a bad person deep down…' she added apologetically. 

'I don't think you were. I think,' Akamatsu said with confidence, 'that he was trying to be a good person, but he had a short temper, which kept getting him in trouble. That's what I believe!' 

'It's pointless to deliberate on the morality of a dead man,' Harukawa remarked coldly. 'I'm more interested in finding out how the envelope ended up here. And, I suppose, the programme it mentioned…'

'It seems that he brought it here with him, which would mean that he got his own file,' Hoshi mused. 'But why would he bring it up here?' 

'Maybe he didn't. Maybe the culprit brought it up here to blackmail him,' Akamatsu pointed out, clenching her fists. 

'And they'd just leave it here? That seems odd,' Harukawa remarked, tapping her chin. 'All of this seems very odd.'

'I guess we'll find out eventually,' Akamatsu said. 'About the programme…from the sound of it, this is some sort of an experiment regarding behaviour? Was Momota-kun put in this killing game to check if he could contain his anger?' 

'That sure worked out great,' Ouma remarked, touching his throat. 'But I guess nobody ended up in a hospital because of him, so that's progress. Unless,' he added, hit with a sudden realisation, 'he was the one who knocked out Saihara-chan. Food for thought!' 

Akamatsu blinked. She hadn't considered that possibility, but it didn't seem that farfetched anymore… 

'Wait a second. If Momota-san's killer is the one who had the file, then we can identify them based on that, no?' Tenko pointed out suddenly. 

'We don't know that for sure. For all we know, there may have been some switching around done here, or he really got his own file and decided to come clean to someone,' Hoshi said, shaking his head. 'If he read all that about himself, maybe he felt like the only way out of it is to confide in someone…' 

'That's lame enough to sound like Momota-chan,' Ouma agreed. 'He should have asked me, I would have told him that everyone knew he's like that before the stupid file.'

'Ouma, there's no need to dwell on that,' Hoshi said softly. 'We should really focus on investigating before time runs out. I feel like we still don't know anything.'

'I think I'm done here. The blood is making me nauseous, so,' Ouma said suddenly, shrugging. He left the storage room and headed downstairs. 

'I don't think we all need to investigate together,' Harukawa stated, looking around the room. 'One of you might be the killer, and we would be playing right into your hands by investigating together.'

'The evidence will lead us to the truth no matter what,' Akamatsu said, puffing out her chest. 'It doesn't matter if the culprit is in this room or not, we can outsmart them.'

Harukawa shook her head. 'I wish I had your confidence. In any case, I think the one thing I still need to find is the murder weapon. Do you have any ideas?' 

'There weren't any knives missing from the cafeteria this morning, right?' Tenko mused, trying to remember. 

'No, I think they were all right there when I entered early in the morning,' Akamatsu said. 'I'm pretty sure of that.'

'There are many ways to hide weapons in this school,' Hoshi said with a sigh. 'It might be harder than it looks.'

Akamatsu started wandering around the storage room. Maybe, she thought, the culprit hid the murder weapon there. There wasn't a lot of space, but… 

She went in the very back of the storage room and saw something that made her face turn pale. 

Obviously, there were many tools in the storage room. Mostly cleaning supplies, brooms and such. What she never noticed was the giant toolbox in the back, currently opened, containing a variety of tools… 

Including a hammer, a paper knife, and what looked like a sickle, with dried blood all over it. 

She picked it up and examined it closely. It was definitely the murder weapon, there was no doubt in her mind about it. However, because it was located at the scene of the crime, nothing connected it to the culprit… 

She had to be very careful. 

Akamatsu returned to the others with the tool in her hand. 'I think I found the weapon…' she said weakly. 

'Good job, Akamatsu,' Harukawa praised flatly, grabbing the weapon out of her hands. 'Where was it?' 

'The toolbox in the back,' Akamatsu explained. 'I didn't even know it was there. I've never gone in the back before.'

'Sadly, we won't be able to confirm who had an opportunity to grab the weapon and who didn't. Anybody could have entered it since it opened, and just not told anybody,' Hoshi mused. 

'That is true…' Tenko sighed. 'Tenko still believes that we will find out the truth one way or another, though!' 

'Hopefully so. Our culprit seems to want to mess with us…' Akamatsu muttered, crossing her arms. 'Oh, maybe while we're here, we should share alibis?' 

'I spent a rough night in my room,' Harukawa responded immediately, stepping over the body and heading towards the door. 'That is everything. I didn't leave at all, and entered the kitchen just before you, as you know. I'm done here now. I need to wash my hands,' she added suddenly, heading out and downstairs,presumably because the bathroom on the fourth floor was occupied by Shirogane. 

Akamatsu watched her leave with a concerned expression. So the blood was bothering her, after all? 

'Tenko also spent the night in her room. She headed there after spending some time in the cafeteria before it closed.' Deep sigh. 'It seems like...Tenko might be on the of the last people who have seen Momota-san alive.

'I saw him after you, Chabashira,' Hoshi pointed out calmly. 'We practiced until they closed the gym, and then talked on the way to the dorms. Momota seemed like he still had something to do before he can go to bed, but he never told me what it was. I assume he was going to talk to someone, and that someone killed him… I wish I asked more questions when I had the chance.'

'You couldn't have known,' Akamatsu insisted, shaking her head. 'As for me, after I said bye to Tenko-san and Momota-kun, I went straight to the dorms, and slept all night. I don't recall seeing or hearing anything suspicious.' She paused, remembering the file. Ouma took it, didn't he? 'I have to ask you guys...did you read the files you received? I still haven't.'

While Tenko shook her head, Hoshi looked up at Akamatsu. 'I guess there's no point in hiding that fact. I did. It wasn't Momota's, if that's what you're thinking. I had no idea about any of that.' He smiled sadly. 'I'd rather not say whose it was or what it said, if you don't mind.' 

Akamatsu looked at him with a concerned expression. If she were to guess, she would assume that he found something out about Ouma…but she could always ask about that later. 'I was going to open mine after breakfast, but then we started looking for Momota-kun, and I couldn't… I will if I still have time before the trial.'

'Tenko decided not to read hers, because nothing good ever comes from reading information provided by Monokuma…as evidenced by what we found out about Momota-san.'

'That's what I thought, too, but it seems like we won't solve the mystery of this killing game without them…' Akamatsu remarked with a sigh. 

She looked around the room. Was there anything else she missed? 

She knelt down next to the body for a final examination. There didn't seem to be anything else that was significant about the body itself, except for the eyes, wide open and terrified, and the fact the wound on the back of his neck was but a thin line, as if the attacker knew precisely where to aim to kill instantly. He was lying on his stomach when they found him, so it did seem like the final strike. 

In turn, that would mean the wound on his stomach, that sliced his guts open, came first, probably shocking him into trying to escape… She could almost see it, and that mental image was terrifying. 

She turned around and looked at the door. There was blood all over them, with distinct handprints sliding down to the floor…so presumably he tried to open the door, but the culprit jumped onto his back, creating the bloodstains in the process. If only Momota reached the doorknob…would he have been saved? The stomach wound seemed like it would have been fatal. 

Akamatsu rubbed her temples. There was a lot to process on this crime scene. She needed some fresh air. 

She left the storage room and looked at the outside of the door again, the bloodstains that Shirogane discovered earlier that brought them there. They seemed like an oversight, a damning mistake that the culprit didn't notice or correct in the dark. Perhaps they didn't have the time…or maybe it wasn't so damning after all. At the very least, it seemed significant. It proved beyond doubt, that somebody was there and left the storage after Momota's death, and that someone got their hands dirty…

Well, now. What else was there to investigate? 

***

Akamatsu headed towards the bathroom. She noticed Kiibo standing outside. Then, Shirogane was still in there… 

'Hey, how is Shirogane-san doing?' she asked immediately. 

'I cannot enter the bathroom, so I'm not sure, but she told me to wait here because she didn't feel well. Perhaps you could check on her, Akamatsu-san?' he said with concern in his voice. 

'Of course. I'll be back in a second,' she assured, opening the door. 

Shirogane was in one of the stalls, which she left open. It just seemed like she needed to sit down. She was breathing heavily, but her skin was noticeably less pale than before. 

'It's time to stand up, Shirogane-san!' Akamatsu called out to her cheerfully. 'C'mon, you can't just sit here the entire time!'

'Huh? I guess not…' Shirogane said, getting up from her seat. 'It was just…s-so much! I've never seen anything like that before!' 

'Do you have any theories about this murder?' Akamatsu asked, and immediately regretted that decision. 

'Oh, there are many explanations I can think of. I haven't decided which one is the most likely, but I think sleepwalking might be involved.'

'Sleepwalking?' Akamatsu repeated hopelessly. At least Shirogane seemed more relaxed, but her words… 

'Mhm! It seems like the murder took place in the middle of the night, you know? That's such an odd time for two people to be awake unless they agreed to meet up, like Gonta-kun and Amami-kun, right, but Momota-kun would probably not agree to that, well, because of Gonta-kun and Amami-kun… So maybe he ended up there by accident, and caught the culprit doing something, and they killed him. Or…'

'I think,' Akamatsu interrupted, waving her hands nervously, 'that you should know that we found an envelope under his body. One of the motive envelopes.'

'Oh,' Shirogane's eyes widened. 'That's interesting. Whose was it? His own?' 

'How did you know?' Akamatsu asked in shock. 

'It just seemed right. There are still so many possibilities, though! Maybe someone summoned him up there to blackmail him with the envelope! Or maybe he stole it while sleepwalking and the culprit noticed it was gone and tried to get it back? Or-'

'You really are stuck on sleepwalking, aren't you?' Akamatsu interrupted again, smiling awkwardly. 

'Ah, I apologise. I just remembered a story about sleepwalking and murder and I was hoping it would come in useful,' Shirogane said sheepishly. 

'What was it?' Akamatsu asked, watching Shirogane wash her hands and face. 

'Oh, it was about a man who believed that he's a sleepwalker, because he kept finding other people's things in his room every morning. Then, one night, someone got killed at the place he stayed at, and he assumed that it was his fault. As it turned out, he was being framed the entire time by the true murderer!'

'Yeah, I'm sorry, that doesn't sound related to this case at all,' Akamatsu said apologetically, leading her out of the bathroom. 'But it sounds vaguely familiar…'

'Well, I tried. Perhaps it could apply to something else. Anyway, what did the file say?' Shirogane asked, tilting her head. Kiibo looked up curiously as well, since he wasn't there to hear it either. 

'Ouma-kun has it, so if you find him you'll be able to read it,' Akamatsu said vaguely, heading downstairs. 'I'm trying to find him, myself, so we can all go together. It will be better than me trying to summarize what we found in the file. By the way, did you two open yours?' she asked suddenly. 'I'm just curious, you know?' 

'You advised against it, Akamatsu-san, so I did not,' Kiibo said proudly. 'Although I think I should at a later time, if you don't mind me doing that. I promise I would consult you before taking action.'

'I agree with that,' Akamatsu said, nodding. 'I've been thinking about it, too.'

'Ah, I didn't read mine either,' Shirogane said apologetically. 'I was too nervous about the possibility of finding out something that would get me in trouble. I would have been eager to read all of them with everyone, though.'

'I see,' Akamatsu said. That was three people who hadn't read it, and only who person who had. At least, if she assumed that everyone was telling the truth…which she was starting to doubt. 

'And what about last night? Did you sleep well?' she asked. 

'Oh, yes. I always go to bed early, as you know,' Shirogane said casually. 'Nothing interesting happened to me, as it never does. Until I found the bloodstain, at least.'

'I actually charged my battery last night,' Kiibo chimed in. 

'Battery?' Akamatsu asked, hoping for more details. 

'Yes. I need to charge it every few days. It's the closest I get to sleep, since my functions are incredibly limited while I'm charging. As such, I didn't leave my room until I was fully charged in the morning.'

Akamatsu decided to file the information away in the 'potentially important' category. 

'When was the last time either of you saw Momota-kun? It could help narrow things down…'

Shirogane hummed, trying to remember. 'I definitely saw him at breakfast…I don't remember if I ran into him afterwards, but I don't think so…'

'I believe I passed him in the hall yesterday afternoon, but I don't remember what time it was. He was heading towards the dorms,' Kiibo recalled. 

'I saw him in the evening, so that's the latest out of us three…' Akamatsu mused, nodding her head. 

Finally, the three of them headed to the warehouse where, as Akamatsu hoped, they would find Iruma and, if she's lucky, Ouma, whom they didn't run into on the way down. 

'Oh, Shirogane-chan, you're alive again!' a familiar voice called out as soon as the trio went inside. 

Ouma and Iruma were standing by the entrance, and seemed to be in the middle of a conversation that Akamatsu interrupted on accident. She wished that she could have heard what they were talking about… 

'Yo, Kiibs! Finally decided that you missed me, huh?' Iruma called out, cackling. Mist of her saliva sprayed everywhere as she laughed. 

'Ouma-kun, do you still have the envelope?' Akamatsu asked impatiently, folding her arms over her chest. 'I want to see it again.'

'Hm?' Ouma tilted his head. 'That thing?' he asked, holding it up. Apparently he was holding it in his hand the entire time…which made sense, she supposed, since it was covered in blood and would leave stains on his white clothes. 'I guess I can let you borrow it for a teensy bit,' he said, extending his arm towards her. 

Akamatsu grabbed the envelope and handed it over to Shirogane, who opened it and quickly started reading. Kiibo peeked over her shoulder, reading slowly as well. Iruma approached them and started reading as well. Akamatsu remembered that she had left the crime scene early as well…she had to investigate that once they were caught up. 

Instead, she approached Ouma, who watched the others in amusenent. When he noticed that she was approaching him, his catlike eyes shifted to watching her with a curious smile. 

'Ouma-kun, can I ask you a few questions?' she demanded in a husky whisper. 

'I wonder what Akamatsu-chan might want to know from me. I'm all ears!' he said, giggling into his hand. 'Nishishi, I'm sure you don't have to whisper. The others are pretty busy.'

'I have three questions. First, how was your night? Second, did you read the motive? Third, what were you just talking about with Iruma-san?' she asked, looking right into his eyes. 

'My, that's pretty invasive stuff, Akamatsu-chan. I'm not going to tell you what Iruma-chan and I talked about. That's private stuff!' he scolded, glancing at Iruma before looking back at Akamatsu. 'I did read the motive. Of course I did! I got it for a reason, y'know? It was super informative!' 

That's two people admitting to having read the motives, Akamatsu thought. For once, Ouma didn't seem to be lying, despite his self-satisfied smile. 

'You want my alibi, huh? I'm going to disappoint you, Akamatsu-chan. I went to my room right after the nighttime announcement, before which I talked to Iruma-chan. Which you're not going to hear more about, either! And then,' he added with a shrug, 'I was pretty busy all night. I didn't sleep, but I didn't leave my room. I mostly just thought about the file I got, y'know?' 

'Was it your own?' Akamatsu asked immediately, knitting her eyebrows. 

Ouma leaned towards her and whispered right into her ear. 'Nope. It wasn't Momota-chan' s either! I'll just say it was a surprise.'

'Hey, lovebirds, can y'all stop whispering in the corner over there?!' Iruma, who was done reading, scolded them suddenly. 'It's gettin' on my fuckin' nerves!'

'Lovebirds…?' Akamatsu mouthed to Ouma, who chuckled into his hand. It was going to be their inside joke forever, she supposed. She wasn't sure how she felt about such jokes, though… 

'Iruma-san, can I ask you something?' Akamatsu asked, glancing at Ouma, who walked away and joined Kiibo and Shirogane in an attempt to get the envelope back. 

'Huh?' Iruma approached her, puffing out her chest. 'What the fuck do you want, Bakamatsu? Spill it and I might answer.'

'Tell me, what were you doing last night?' 

'H-huh?' Iruma's eyes widened. 'None of yer fuckin' business, but, I was here. I pulled an all nighter cuz I had some shit I had to finish after the two days that put me behind schedule.'

'Was Kiibo-kun with you, as always?'

'Nah. Kiibs was chargin' in his room so he had a night off from watchin' me. It's not like I took advantage of that, though…I was a good girl…' she insisted, playing with her hair. 

'I see. Then, tell me…did you look at the motive?' 

'The envelope bullshit? Nah,' Iruma said, shaking her head. She was sweating profusely. 'I'm too busy saving the fuckin' world to give a shit about some schmuck's dirty laundry.'

'Hey, what were you talking about with Ouma-kun before we walked in?' Akamatsu tried again. 

Iruma wailed, looking around quickly. 'None of yer fuckin' b-business…' she stuttered finally. 'I don't have to tell you about all my conversations y-you nosy bitch…!' she cried and walked away. 

Ouma grinned at Akamatsu from a distance. 

It was rather infuriating. 

***

The last place that she decided to check out, that could help her solve the mystery, was Momota's bedroom. 

To her surprise, she wasn't the only person who had that idea, as inside his room she found Harukawa, looking through his desk. 

'Did you find anything?' she asked, startling Harukawa who had her back turned to her. 

'Nothing particularly interesting,' Harukawa informed, turning towards her,straightening her back. 'I was trying to see if I could find his motive, since that could be an important clue. It's nowhere to be found, so either the culprit took it, or he did indeed get his own, which complicates this case quite a bit.' She sighed deeply. 

'I hoped to find something like that, too,' Akamatsu said, disappointed. 'Our culprit isn't leaving us much to work with. By the way, I have to ask-'

'You want to know if I opened my motive, I assume,' Harukawa interrupted. She looked up at Akamatsu with tired eyes. 'It doesn't matter, but I didn't. Perhaps I should have.'

'We all have regrets now…' Akamatsu said in an attempt to comfort her. 'I wanted to ask you something else, though. Did Momota-kun ever apologise to you?' 

Harukawa knit her eyebrows in confusion. 'No. Why? Was he planning to?' 

'Last evening, I talked to him, and he seemed to want to apologise for trying to break your walls and get you to open up like he did. It seemed like he was planning to do that, so…'

Harukawa clenched her fists. 'I didn't know about that. In any case, he didn't get to. I assume he either tried and missed me, or didn't get to try.'

'That's a shame. I think he meant well,' Akamatsu said reluctantly. 'Though it sounds silly of me to say after what we've read in the file.'

'He was a moron. I don't care if he meant well, really. Though it is comforting to know that he at least wanted to make amends. It's...more than I expected,' Harukawa said, looking away. 'I can't promise to forgive him for intentions alone, though. We'll see after the trial.'

'That's fair,' Akamatsu said diplomatically. 'I don't think telling you to forgive him would do anybody any good.'

Harukawa smiled barely noticeably. 'You're almost as annoying as him. But that alone makes me think you're at least smarter.'

That's when an announcement rang out above their heads, startling them both. 

'Attention, everyone!' Monokuma's cheerful voice exclaimed from the speaker. 'Your time's up, so I hope you got all the evidence you need! Gather in front of the elevator immediately!' 

Akamatsu and Harukawa looked each other in the eyes in silent agreement. They both nodded. 

It was time to solve the mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've been hit by a heat wave so I've been having MASSIVE headaches. I hope the chapter makes at least some semblance of sense, though. It was a unique one for sure.
> 
> Time flies. I can't believe we're already about to finish Chapter 4.


	40. Chapter 4: Trial 1

Akamatsu and Harukawa headed towards the elevator. Soon enough, everyone gathered there and waited in tense silence, until the elevator finally arrived and opened its doors for them.

Once everyone went inside, the amount of free space in comparison to the first trial hit Akamatsu right in the chest – exactly half of the group was gone, and she had no idea how many more of them would have to die before they're finally allowed to end the game and leave the school.

Once the elevator started slowly moving downwards, as if to keep them confined and tense for as long as possible, Akamatsu closed her eyes and tried to sort her thoughts.

She didn't know Momota as well as she knew the previous victim, Angie. The file revealed some information she hadn't expected, but it all made sense in hindsight. Despite his flaws – his lack of tact, his short temper, his stubbornness, many of which he shared with her, he was a person who tried to treat people fairly. He was open to learning, even if he seemed quite thin-skinned at times when he was criticized directly...

...And he was now dead, with a wound in his stomach, a wound resembling the typical seppuku... Did he inflict it upon himself, and then get put out of his mystery by whoever he summoned up there? Or were both of his major wounds a result of someone slashing at him for their own reasons? She couldn't tell which it was, but trusted that the evidence would lead her to the truth.

There had to be a way to figure it out, but at the same time...

...Akamatsu Kaede was tired.

She was tired of suspecting her friends. She was tired of Monokuma giving her classmates motives to tempt them into killing each other. She was tired of them falling for it, chasing the possibility of being freed from this prison, knowing full well that if they succeed, everyone else will die.

In a way, she was also tired of holding them accountable for it. It was fair to execute a murderer, of course...but at the end of the day, they were still friends, right? And they were just desperate to escape, which she couldn't fault them for... After all, she wanted nothing else herself.

Akamatsu smiled bitterly to herself. How things change, huh? Just two weeks ago, which felt like months and months ago, she was telling Saihara that a criminal needs to face punishment, and that she wouldn't want him to excuse her if she committed murder. A murderer took the risk knowing the consequences, and that, should they succeed, everyone else would be executed in their stead. Anyone who made that decision didn't deserve sympathy. And yet...

Now she was the one struggling, and Saihara was long dead, and Akamatsu herself contributed to exposing and punishing his killer, a dear friend whom she trusted and now also missed terribly despite condemning her actions. It was a difficult line to walk. 

Akamatsu held back tears, biting her bottom lip. She understood it better, now, the struggle that kept eating at Saihara, that she couldn't wrap her head around at first. These were people she considered her friends, and it was already difficult enough to acknowledge that some of them had no qualms about commiting murder, without having to personally sentence them to them.

...But that's what needed to be done, and she wasn't going to avoid finding the truth for her own comfort! No matter how painful it was!

While she reached that conclusion, the evelator stopped, and the door opened, as did her eyes. She stepped out, confidently puffing out her chest. She wasn't going to be deceived by anyone! It was time to expose the killer!

The interior of the courtroom had changed again, now painted in shades of dark blue and purple, similar to Momota's trademark jacket. The walls were also decorated with tacky stars cut out of paper. There was a mobius trip hanging from the ceiling in the centre of the room.

Truly, you couldn't have forgotten who died. Momota Kaito, Luminary of the Stars... He might not have finished his training, but he was always going to be remembered as the Super High School Level Astronaut who yearned so bady to look into the sky once again, but, as it turned out, never got to before his life was cut short.

'How are you doing, my favourite bastards?' Monokuma asked, looking down at them from his platform.

'Terrible. Let's get this over with,' Harukawa said curtly.

'Agreed,' Hoshi murmured, pulling his hat over his eyes.

'Wow, you guys really don't want to talk to me anymore, huh?' Monokuma remarked, pretending to be hurt. 'Not even fun pre-trial banter... Do I mean nothing to you anymore?'

'Nope!' Ouma informed, taking his seat. 'You're boring. Let's get this show on the road already! I can't wait!'

'Ouma-kun, you're one messed up bastard, aren't you?' Monokuma said with a delighted grin. 'Fine, everyone, you know what your seats are! It's time!'

Akamatsu took her spot and looked around the room. One of the seven people in the courtroom with her dealt the final blow that killed Momota. If they fail to identify the person who committed that crime, they were going to die.

...There was an obvious answer to this trolley problem.

TRUTH BULLETS:

>Monokuma File  
The victim is Momota Kaito.   
He died sometime between midnight and 9am.  
There are multiple wounds on his body, including an open wound on his stomach, and a cut on the back of his neck, as well as mild head trauma. He lost quite a lot of blood. There are signs of struggle.

>Momota's puzzling attitude the day before  
When Akamatsu last saw him, Momota seemed to have something on his mind. He refused to tell her the details, but confessed that there was something that he needed to do before he would be able to fall asleep.

>The state of the body  
The body was found lying face down on the floor of the storage room in a puddle of his own blood. It appears that he died in that position.

>The wound on his stomach  
Momota's stomach was slashed open by a sharp object causing blood and his insides to spill out. It's reminiscent of the traditional method of suicide – seppuku.

>The wound on his neck  
There is a deep cut on the back of his neck.

>The blood on the door  
There are smeared handprints on the inside of the door, presumably made by Momota who was trying to escape but got struck down by the culprit before he could open the door.

>The weapon  
The weapon seems to be the sickle-like tool found in the toolbox in the back of the storage room. There are traces of blood on the blade.

>The open envelope  
An open envelope was found under Momota's body by Ouma Kokichi. It is soaked in blood and contains Momota Kaito's file.

>The contents of the files about Momota  
'Momota Kaito, known as the Super High School Level Astronaut, was actually not an astronaut at all, but a failed trainee, rejected for health reasons as well as not passing certain exams. Anything he might have claimed about his skills related to his training, such as fluency in multiple languages, was not actually true. 

(…)

Upon hearing the news, he physically assaulted the messenger, sending them to intensive care, and him - to anger management, where he remained for months until it was decided that he could rejoin society.

(…)

The programme ('killing game') is to determine if the effects of the anger management treatment are deeply rooted or superficial, since Momota Kaito himself will not remember the incidents related to it.'

>The bloody fingerprints on the doorknob  
There is blood on the outside of the door, especially on the doorknob. Its origin is unknown.

>Kiibo's charger  
Kiibo has to charge every few days, during the process of which he is technically asleep – most of his functions are turned off. According to him and Iruma he spent the night of Momota's murder charging, giving him a definite alibi.

>The motives  
The only people who admit to having read the files they received from Monokuma are Ouma Kokichi and Hoshi Ryouma, but neither of them revealed whose files they received, instead simply claiming that it wasn't Momota's.

>Hoshi's testimony  
Hoshi is the last person who saw Momota alive as the nighttime fell. He said that Momota mentioned planning to do something before he fell asleep, and Hoshi got the feeling that the plan he had included meeting up with someone.

>Iruma's testimony  
Iruma claims that she spent the whole night working on a new invention and didn't leave at all. It's possible that the invention had something to do with Ouma, who shee discussed something with and refused to reveal the details of.

>Kiibo's testimony  
Kiibo recalls passing by Momota in the hall in the afternoon. He was heading towards the dorms.

>Harukawa's testimony  
Harukawa claims that Momota never apoologised too her, despite his plans to. She didn't sleep well that night, and didn't meet him at all, meaning he probably got murdered before he could approach her. 

>Ouma's testimony  
Apparently, Ouma didn't sleep the night of Momota's murder, but didn't leave his room.

TRIAL: START

MONOKUMA: Welcome for the fourth time, you bastards! A quick reminder about the trial rules before we begin!

MONOKUMA: The trial is a non-stop discussion where you will attempt to figure out which of you is the criminal who killed Momota Kaito-kun!

MONOKUMA: Once the time is up, all of you will vote on who you think is the culprit. Not voting is against the rules! Don't think about it

MONOKUMA: If you vote for the right person, they alone will be punished by means of execution! The rest of you will get to continue the game.

MONOKUMA: On the flipside, if you accuse the wrong person, the culprit will get to graduate and go outside to continue their life as nomal, while the rest of you will be executed! Think carefully before voting! There are no take-backsies or second tries!

MONOKUMA: Good luck, you bastards, take it away!

AKAMATSU: I think we should start this trial by opening the Monokuma File and reading the contents once again so we're on the same page. 

HARUKAWA: It's as good a start as any, I suppose. 

AKAMATSU: The file says that the murder took place between midnight and 9am. It seems significant that we don't have a specific time. It also mentions the wounds on Momota-kun's stomach and neck, but doesn't specify which of them is the fatal one. 

HOSHI: Both of those things seem like they need to be discussed in detail before we can narrow it down. I think we should start with the time of death, however hard that might be to do. 

AKAMATSU: Since the murder probably took place at night or early in the morning, it's hard to work off alibis, and even those who saw him alive last evening did so well before midnight. Hoshi-kun, you're the last person who saw him alive, right? 

HOSHI: Yeah. It was right around the time we heard the body discovery announcement, so I last saw him right after 10pm when we went to the dorms together. 

KIIBO: That is still two hours before the murder could have happened at the earliest… 

AKAMATSU: And the body was found, I think, right before 10am or so. At 9am we were all at breakfast, so at the latest someone could commit the murder before breakfast. 

OUMA: Oh, I think it's pretty simple. 

CHABASHIRA: Oh no, the menace is going to mislead us once again! Don't speak! Tenko can tell from your face that you intend to lie! 

SHIROGANE: I-I think we might as well hear him out…and just take what he says with a grain of salt… 

IRUMA: More like a fuckload of salt! 

OUMA: Aww, Shirogane-chan, you shouldn't have! I mean it, that was a pretty big mistake on your part, because I think right now you're the most suspicious person I can think of, and that's what I was about to say. 

SHIROGANE: _(freezing, sweating profusely)_ H-huh? 

KIIBO: ...Eh? How is Shirogane-san suspicious? Explain yourself! 

SHIROGANE: N-no… I was wrong, m-maybe we shouldn't listen to him at all! Let's listen to someone else! 

IRUMA: Let him speak, you fuckin' nerd! He's probably just trollin' anyway, chill your tits. Yer making yourself look more suspicious than this shithead ever could. 

CHABASHIRA: It would be even worse if he's accusing her just to mess with us! Shirogane-san, you mustn't lose your head! 

OUMA: ...Anyway, as I was saying! Remember, if you will, who discovered the body. 

HARUKAWA: Not all of us were there. Elaborate instead of trying to be suspenseful. 

OUMA: Jeez, Harukawa-chan, you're really no fun! You can't just say things, you know? Otherwise the trial would be soooo boring! Anyway, according to Akamatsu-chan, Shirogane-chan is the one who noticed that something was up with the door! Is that right? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, Shirogane-san ran downstairs to find me and told me about the door. We went together to see what's going on, and ran into Ouma-kun and Kiibo-kun. They tagged along and we opened the door together, discovering the body in the process. I don't see how-

HARUKAWA: Wait. I think he might be onto something for once. Answer me, how did Shirogane end up discovering that? I wouldn't think there are many reasons to go to the storage, since the warehouse is closer by and has most things you would need. So, why? 

SHIROGANE: We were looking for Momota-kun, that's the only reason why… 

KIIBO: Since Momota-kun skipped breakfast, we decided to see if he simply slept in. He didn't answer the door, despite how much noise we were making, so we agreed to go looking for him all over the school. 

HARUKAWA: How did you decide who went where? 

AKAMATSU: Hoshi-kun said that he would go to the gym, Kiibo-kun decided to take the third floor, with the art room and the rec room, and then Shirogane-san…said that she will check on the fourth floor. 

HARUKAWA: So, she made this decision herself. That does seem pretty suspicious. 

OUMA: Doesn't it? I didn't even know about that, but it fits right in! 

SHIROGANE: W-wait a second! Why would that have anything to do with anything? I-I wouldn't even be able to kill him right then, and it wouldn't make a difference if somebody else discovered it…

HARUKAWA: Maybe it wouldn't, but I would be suspicious of anyone who chose to investigate the floor the murder took place on. Especially if you wanted to tamper with the evidence before anybody else could discover it. 

OUMA: And you didn't even open the door yourself! Instead, you gathered three other people to open it with you, ensuring that the body discovery announcement would play. 

AKAMATSU: I…didn't think of that… 

KIIBO: I have a counterpoint! I don't think Shirogane-san could have tampered with the crime scene! 

OUMA: Kiibo, did you retire from being Iruma-chan's white knight, or are you just two-timing? 

IRUMA: He doesn't need to defend me because it's obvious that I'm innocent! 

OUMA: Iruma-chan, we both know that's a boldfaced lie. You're the second most suspicious person here by virtue of being your loud bitchy self alone! 

IRUMA: _(salivating)_ ...ngh…

AKAMATSU: Back on track…let's hear what Kiibo-kun has to say. I think I know where he's going with this, but I want to make sure. 

KIIBO: As soon as we opened the door, Shirogane-san lost consciousness upon inhaling the scent of blood and seeing the corpse. I'm sure that if she went inside before then, the same thing would have happened. 

SHIROGANE: _(muttering to herself)_ Ah, if only losing consciousness gave me any powers…like an alter ego that could take over for me… 

IRUMA: It was all theatrics! She was bullshiting you, there's no way in hell that she actually passed out! 

AKAMATSU: She's not the only one who felt sick, I felt unwell too, and so did you, Iruma-san. There was no reason to pretend. 

OUMA: Yeah, I'm pretty sure she passed out for realsies. That still doesn't mean she's innocent. She might have covered her mouth with something or pinched her nose and got the job done. 

SHIROGANE:. I did no such thing! I genuinely didn't expect to find a body there! And I especially didn't plant anything or take anything! I was as surprised as you! B-besides…you said that the murder must have been committed before breakfast, right? W-well, I went to bed early and woke up late, so…I wouldn't even make it… 

IRUMA: Wow, that's one shitty excuse, nerd! Try harder! 

SHIROGANE: H-huh? 

OUMA: It's a pretty convenient setup, isn't it? Going to bed early, waking up late…means that you can easily get up in the middle of the night and do whatever you want, and you can give yourself an alibi by saying you were asleep the whole time! 

SHIROGANE: ... 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko knows that it might sound suspicious, but, at the end of the day…doesn't everything you say about your activity at night sound suspicious? If Shirogane-san said that she went to bed late or couldn't sleep at all, it would be as suspicious a statement, Tenko thinks. 

OUMA: Obviously. We will never be able to figure out for sure if everyone who said they were sound asleep, really was! That's what's so fun about committing a murder in the middle of the night, on the top floor of the school, at that, isn't it? But we don't need to find out if everyone was lying about what they were doing at night. We need to figure out who was lying and killed Momota-chan! 

AKAMATSU: Only one of us did that…we can't lose sight of that. 

SHIROGANE: B-but it wasn't me, okay! I really didn't kill Momota-kun! I-in fact, I already miss him, because nobody is responding to my references with his fantastic irritated bewilderment that's typical in normies… 

OUMA: Y'know, I think I might actually buy that. I still don't buy that you spent the entire night sleeping, something tells me that doesn't sound right…but I don't think I can picture you having the guts to kill Momota-chan like that, it's way too real to be your work. Even if you're not the killer, I still think you might have messed with the crime scene and pretended that you never opened it, though. 

SHIROGANE: Wh-what would be the point in that? I can't think strategically at all… 

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun. What were you thinking could have been changed about the crime scene, anyway? 

OUMA: I dunno, anything…maybe, I thought, she went to add the bloodstains on the doorknob, or to plant the envelope there…maybe it could even be something that's now missing from our investigation! Just to make it harder, you know. 

AKAMATSU: It's definitely not the doorknob. That blood wasn't fresh, it was super dry. I'm sure she didn't add it then. As for moving anything at the crime scene, Harukawa-san, I'm sure you can confirm that it would be difficult. 

HARUKAWA: ...What do you mean, exactly?

AKAMATSU: You moved the body around a lot during the investigation. It got blood not only on your hands, but all over your clothes. Now, that's not something that would be easy to wash out anyway, but as I remember, Shirogane-san wasn't wet at all when she found me, and there was also no blood on her. I'm sure of that, since I touched her hands and looked down at her shirt. 

SHIROGANE: _(blushing)_ D-did you? 

HARUKAWA: That is a fair point. I wasn't there to see it in the moment, but I know how difficult those stains were to wash out. I barely made it in time for the trial, and I'm still not completely dry. In that respect, Shirogane is in the clear. 

SHIROGANE: B-besides, someone as uninteresting as me…being the killer? That's just absurd… And I had no reason to kill Momota-kun… Ah, am I in the clear now? 

HOSHI: I don't think anybody is entirely in the clear until we look at all the clues, but there's no point in being stuck on you being the one to find the body. 

AKAMATSU: Besides, Ouma-kun…messing with a crime scene sounds more like something you would do, if anything. 

OUMA: Hm, me? I would never! The only fun way of tricking you during the trial is with my words, not anything as silly as some fake blood. Tch. Anyway, Hoshi-chan is right as always, I guess. 

KIIBO: I agree. We have to move forward and look at the case from every angle until we find the right one. We still have not pinpointed the time of death yet. 

OUMA: Boo, turns out Shirogane-chan wasn't really as shady as I thought, and here I was hoping that I got it… Well, guess even I make mistakes sometimes! Shirogane-chan can't even be properly suspicious because of how lame she is!

SHIROGANE: _(sighing)_ That's true… I wouldn't make a compelling antagonist at all, because I lack the charisma and flashiness of a good villain… Being accused of this murder is probably as close as I will get to graduating from my role as an extra… 

IRUMA: Maybe the killer shoulda taken ya out too. Then both you and starlord would be outta my sight and you'd get to play the excitin' role of a victim! _(cackling disgustingly)_

SHIROGANE: I'm not sure how I feel about that… but it would almost feel like being in a detective story, right? 

HARUKAWA: What does it matter to you? You would be dead. 

AKAMATSU: _(clearing her throat)_  
Anyway… I think that in order to determine the time of death we have to take a look at the crime scene, especially the body. 

SHIROGANE: Eugh…I don't want to look at it anymore. Not even figuratively. I might get nauseous again.

IRUMA: Quit bein' a fuckin' li'l bitch! A li'l blood never killed anybody. 

CHABASHIRA: Um… It did kill Momota-san, did it not? 

KIIBO: Technically, the blood is not what killed him. He bled as a result of being killed, presumably. 

HOSHI: We're getting too distracted by unimportant things again…let's talk about the body already, alright? 

HARUKAWA: To recap, the state of the body is as follows: it was found lying on its stomach facing the door. Its stomach was slashed open, causing some of his insides to spill out. There was a scar on his neck. Did I get everything right? 

SHIROGANE: For some reason you referring to the body as 'it' is making me feel a bit uneasy… 

HARUKAWA: It's not Momota anymore. He's dead. All that's left is a corpse, a rotting piece of meat. Don't get sentimental or offended, you know it to be true. 

SHIROGANE: E-even so, it feels wrong to talk about a friend like that, somehow… 

HARUKAWA: He wasn't my friend, he was a nuisance, and he is one in death as well. Once again: body lying face down, wound on the stomach, scar on the neck. Is that all? 

AKAMATSU: There are also bloody fingerprints on the door, which might be significant, especially as blood appears on both sides of it.

KIIBO: We have to determine the time of death from that? That sounds rather difficult. 

HARUKAWA: It's safe to say that the murder was committed at least a few hours before we found the body, though I can't say anything more precise than that. As I said back then, the blood was dry, and rigor mortis had already set in. All that is why the smell of blood was so intense to you.

HOSHI: That makes sense. The body definitely didn't seem freshly killed, unlike Yonaga's the previous time. Someone left him there for a long time. 

AKAMATSU: So we're setting on the time of death being closer to midnight than 9am, then?

HARUKAWA: I think it's fair to say that. It would probably be less risky for the culprit to meet up with him at such an hour than in the morning, when anyone could have walked in or caught them coming back to their room. It was safer than the situation with Amami, since back then the chance of someone walking onto the second floor was much higher, with sixteen people and only two floors. It was still a risk, because it always is, but it seems like the culprit got lucky this time. 

HOSHI: Unfortunately. The odds were in their favour. 

KIIBO: I wonder if it was really luck or simply the culprit knowing that they would be safe. In any case, we should take a closer look at the scene of the crime itself. I did not get to investigate there much, since I was watching after Shirogane-san. 

OUMA: You really are two-timing, huh? 

KIIBO: I don't understand what that's supposed to mean, but it's definitely not true. 

IRUMA: Hey, Itchy Cock, why don't ya mind your own business? Maybe you'd get as much attention as Kiibs if you weren't so fuckin' insufferable. 

OUMA: I'd be wounded, but weren't you the one who acted super jealous over me and Akamatsu-chan whispering secrets to each other? Nishishi~

AKAMATSU: Don't use me in your weird jealousy arguments! 

HOSHI: ... 

HARUKAWA: Are you all done? Can we proceed now? 

AKAMATSU: We should look at everything individually. First, the fact that the body was lying face down on the floor. What does that tell us? 

IRUMA: That he got it from behind! 

HOSHI: ... 

HARUKAWA: ... 

AKAMATSU: ... 

IRUMA: _(cowering)_ Wh-what? Stop starin' at me blankly like that… I just meant that he got the final blow from behind… You dirty fuckin' pervs…

HARUKAWA: Forgive me for not catching onto that. I expect you to spew absolute worthless innuendo everytime you open your mouth. 

IRUMA: That's your own goddamn fault for underestimating Iruma Miu! 

AKAMATSU: ...It wasn't that amazing a statement. I was about to say something similar, but in a less ambiguous way. 

IRUMA: Ngh… I still beat you to it… 

AKAMATSU: Anyway…yeah, it seems like he died in that pose, which makes me wonder how he ended up like that. 

HOSHI: I assume someone attacked him and he ended up falling over? 

OUMA: Maybe Momota-chan tripped over his own large intestine? Nishishi~

SHIROGANE: _(nauseous)_ Please don't say things like that… I don't need that mental image… 

HARUKAWA: _(sighing)_

AKAMATSU: I do think that it's possible he was attacked from behind, especially with the bloody fingerprints sliding down the door. He was probably trying to escape and got attacked, but that still doesn't explain everything… 

KIIBO: Are you thinking about the wound on his stomach? 

AKAMATSU: Yeah. 

SHIROGANE: What's so strange about it. 

AKAMATSU: Nothing specific, I just wonder how he got it, and why… There are a few explanations and I think we need to discuss them. 

HOSHI: Are you stuck on the fact that it looks like it could be self-inflicted? I'm asking because I've been thinking about that, too. 

AKAMATSU: It really does look like that. It's entirely possible that he slashed his own stomach, theoretically… Especially after reading what the file said. But, then, someone else still attacked him… And I don't understand why he would try to escape if he was trying to punish himself anyway. Besides, that doesn't sound like Momota-kun at all. I don't think he would do that. 

CHABASHIRA: That is true… As far as Tenko knows, Momota-san didn't seem like the type to just give up on life. He wanted to escape perhaps more than many of us did. If anything, Tenko would assume that he would publicly apologise for the harm he caused. He did apologise to Tenko, however poorly. 

AKAMATSU: Yeaj, I don't see it… Unless he thought that he was going to die anyway. 

SHIROGANE: Then, it's pretty obviously not a self-inflicted wound, right? So what's the problem? 

AKAMATSU: It just seems kind of odd to me… It's a deep cut, and it would take a lot of strength and effort to pull it off. It's a deep enough cut to make his insides spill… 

SHIROGANE: S-stop! 

AKAMATSU: Above that, it's a painful cut, so the person who inflicted it probably didn't mind hurting Momota-kun. But, on the other hand, the cut on the neck seems like it would cause an instant death. You see where I'm getting at? 

HARUKAWA: I might be wrong, but are you implying the culprit changed their mind partway through and decided to settle for a mercy kill? 

HOSHI: Either that or the person who gave him the stomach wound is not the same person who killed him. 

KIIBO: I noticed that we are assuming that the fatal wound is the one on his neck, and not the one on his stomach. Is that correct? 

HARUKAWA: I should think so. It's a precise cut, so the culprit must have believed that it would kill. Besides, the position of the body would make the cut on the stomach difficult to pull off. No, I'm sure that is the correct order. But I also believe that the wounds were inflicted by the same person. Anything else seems absurd. 

AKAMATSU: I agree...I'm just trying to picture it in my head, you know? What explains the change? 

HARUKAWA: I think that's easy enough. Picture this: Momota and the culprit talking face to face, possibly about the motive - Momota's file. Presumably, it was brought onto the scene by the culprit, who then could use it as a distraction, making him try to grab it. Once he's distracted, they could slash his stomach open with the weapon they grabbed earlier. He realises what happened and tries to escape, but they immobilize him and finish him off.

SHIROGANE: That's so devious...plain devious. 

OUMA: It's a pretty clever plan. I think Momota-chan would be dumb enough to get distracted by anything. They could even distract him without the file, probably. 

CHABASHIRA: Momota-san had faith in us, so he probably wouldn't think twice. 

HOSHI: Yeah, I could see that. So the culprit was probably someone he trusted. 

HARUKAWA: That doesn't help us much. He was a fool. He would trust anybody. 

AKAMATSU: I guess that makes sense. I put too much stock into the difference between the wounds, but now that I think about it, obviously once they immobilized him, they would want to kill him as soon as possible. It probably had nothing to do with mercy. 

IRUMA: You're too soft, Bakamatsu! Nobody would deliberate on the murder method once they have him underneath them, struggling, groaning, panicking…

OUMA: I think you're getting off track, Iruma-chan… Though I can't really blame you! 

MONOKUMA: Hey, bastards, no getting off in my courtroom! Wait until we're done here to fantasise about your dead friend! 

IRUMA: Uuuu… Being shamed is much more effective than stardork could ever be with his stupid goatee! 

SHIROGANE: So, in short…the stomach wound was inflicted first, and the wound on the neck was the final blow. Momota-kun died on his stomach, trying to escape. 

AKAMATSU: That sounds the most logical. 

SHIROGANE: Then, I just have one more question… 

AKAMATSU: What is it? 

SHIROGANE: Then, the blood that I saw on the other side of the door…whose was it? How did it get there? I-is Momota-kun…a zombie, who escaped but was shoved back inside by the culprit? M-maybe they thought that the stomach wound would be enough to kill him, but it wasn't…and that's why they cut him on the neck, too? 

HARUKAWA: Why do we even listen to you anymore? Zombies don't exist in this reality, I'm sorry. Try again. 

IRUMA: Next you will tell me werewolves and vampires also don't exist! 

HARUKAWA: They don't. 

IRUMA: Yer telling me I'll never get to fuck a vampire? What's the point of being alive then! 

SHIROGANE: You get me! 

IRUMA: Don't fuckin' talk to me! We're nothing alike, you goddamn otaku! 

HARUKAWA: On the contrary, you're both tied for the title of the most annoying person in this room, so you have at least that much in common. 

OUMA: Oh, burn! 

HARUKAWA: You're close second. Don't flatter yourself. 

OUMA: At least I don't have to share my spot with little bitch-chan. 

IRUMA: I'll stomp you into the fuckin' ground from my throne! 

KIIBO: I do not understand what we are talking about anymore. 

CHABASHIRA: Tenko thinks we should address Shirogane-san's question. The blood on the inside of the door is most likely Momota-san's, and a result of him trying and failing to escape. But the blood on the outside can't have been brought there by Momota-san, and yet it got there somehow. 

HARUKAWA: It was obviously an oversight by the culprit. They left that bloody mark while leaving the storage. Presumably when they were closing the door. 

HOSHI: It was Momota's blood no doubt. Probably got onto their hands in the heat of the moment. He lost a lot of blood, and they might have touched the body or the floor unknowingly. Or knowingly. Who knows, really. 

SHIROGANE: I'm not sure if that's an oversight. After all, the blood still doesn't lead us to the culprit…

OUMA: It would have if someone, say, ran into the culprit before they were washing their hands…or before then. 

CHABASHIRA: Perhaps it was strategical? As someone said earlier, there's usually no reason to look inside the storage, unless you are doing something upstairs and might need to look for cleaning supplies and such. If not for the blood on the doorknob, Shirogane-san might not have noticed anything was wrong…and we wouldn't have found the body for a long time, which would prevent the culprit from graduating. 

KIIBO: That is a good point. I cannot recall any instance when I needed to find something in the storage. 

HARUKAWA: I didn't think of that. That certainly is a possibility. The culprit sure covered all bases. 

AKAMATSU: The culprit made sure that we would find the body and the murder weapon without being able to connect it to a specific person. That's devious… 

OUMA: Ooh, let's talk about the murder weapon! That's always fun!

AKAMATSU: I wouldn't call it fun, but… I was the one who found it. It was in a toolbox in the back of the storage room, which I hadn't seen before, but the culprit clearly knew of. There were many tools inside, but only one with blood on it - a sickle-like weapon. I have no idea what it would be used for normally, but it definitely is the murder weapon. 

HARUKAWA: I agree with that. I don't think there's any doubt about it. I examined that sickle closely, and it could definitely tear through flesh well enough to cause this wound. It could probably also work for the neck wound. It's definitely what we're looking for. 

SHIROGANE: That's all nice and good, but…does it tell us anything…? About the culprit, I mean. 

HARUKAWA: _(sarcastically)_ Anything specific? Let's see. It could be anyone who had an opportunity to enter the storage room and look around closely enough to find the toolbox. It could be anyone who knows, at least vaguely, what a sickle is and how to handle it. Mind, there's a chance that they found the sickle right before Momota arrived, if they were leaving it up to chance. 

AKAMATSU: Which effectively means… 

HARUKAWA: ...that it could be anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. That was quick


	41. Chapter 4: Trial 2

Akamatsu inhaled sharply, rubbing her temples furiously, as if hoping that it would bring a solution to the front of her brain. There had to be one, she was sure, and it was quite frustrating to know that she couldn't grasp it yet.All the roads they had taken in the trial so far seemingly led to nowhere. There must have been another perspective she was oblivious to.

But, even then, there was something...

Some vague inkling of recognition. Some details that seemed off in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. 

If only she could focus... And form a rebuttal...

Akamatsu opened her eyes with a sudden realisation.

AKAMATSU: I don't think that's true, Harukawa-san.

HARUKAWA: How come? I think everyone here could easily wield a sickle, even those of us that I otherwise have no faith in.

AKAMATSU: I'm not denying that part. I'm saying that there is one person who couldn't have committed the murder. It was physically impossible.

HARUKAWA: And who might that be?

AKAMATSU: Kiibo-kun.

OUMA: Aw, bummer.

IRUMA: Of course Kiibs wouldn't do it, ya dense bitches!

HARUKAWA: Are you invoking the laws of robotics again, Akamatsu? I'll just tell you now that it's not a good enough defence.

AKAMATSU: That's not what I was thinking of, actually. What I wanted to point out is that Kiibo-kun was out of commission all night. He was charging his battery, which limits his functionality and means he was basically unconscious until the process was over. That's confirmed not only by Kiibo-kun, but also Iruma-san.

IRUMA: Oh, yeah. Kiibs told me that he needs to charge and won't be able to work with me in the warehouse. It's happened before, he needs to charge, like, once a week, or whatever. He's completely out of it the entire time.

SHIROGANE: Oh! I remember that he mentioned that to me before when I came over to give him one of the outfits I made for him. I even got to see him plug it in.

KIIBO: Ah, that's true! That did happen a while ago.

IRUMA: Wait, you made outfits for him? And Kiibs, you didn't show me?

SHIROGANE: A-ah... Kiibo-kun was enthusiastic about cosplay...and clothes in general...so Toujou-san and I made him a few...before she died. Like the scarf he's wearing right now, y-you know?

KIIBO: E-exactly! I didn't...get to show you everything, Iruma-san.

IRUMA: Eh? Well, you will after this shitty snorefest is over.

KIIBO: I-I will?

HOSHI: It seems that Kiibo might be the only one in the clear, then.

IRUMA: Yeah, he wouldn't be able to unplug himself or anythin' just to slaughter stardork. 'Sides, it'd be harder to wash all that shitty blood off him. Nah, Kiibs is in the clear.

HARUKAWA: I stand corrected. If what you're saying is true, that means that Kiibo wouldn't be ale to commit the murder. That still means that anybody else could have done it.

SHIROGANE: A-at least that's some progress for once, right?

IRUMA: We've been talkin' forever and that's all ya've got?

HARUKAWA: Let me know when you decide to actually contribute soomething useful to the trial.

IKRUMAL Ngh?!

AKAMATSU: Despite everything, I think I'm starting to have a more solid idea… But there are still some things that we need to examine before I can make the call. 

CHABASHIRA: Akamatsu-san, you know who the murderer is already? That's amazing! 

AKAMATSU: I have a suspicion that I still need to confirm, but it's nothing solid, and I don't want to make reckless accusations.. . First, we have to look at the motive again.

HARUKAWA: It all comes down to Momota's file in the end… I can't say I'm surprised by that. From the start, it seemed like the key to solving the mystery. 

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun, could you show it to us again? Let's look at it together and try to figure out what's the most notable thing about the envelope and the file. 

OUMA: _(holding up the envelope with the very tips of his fingers)_ Here you go, Akamatsu-chan. Do I have to read it again? 

AKAMATSU: No. I just want to hear what everyone thinks before I say what I think. 

HOSHI: There are a few things that stand out to me… First, the fact that the envelope is covered in blood. 

HARUKAWA: That makes sense. It was found in the pool of blood under Momota. 

HOSHI: I know that. It still doesn't explain why it ended up there instead of being grabbed by the culprit or placed anywhere else. What bothers me more, now that I think about it, is that it's been opened before we found it.

CHABASHIRA: It had to have been opened, right? In order to determine whether it was really Momota-kun's file and not somebody else's. Tenko doesn't find that odd at all. 

HOSHI: Obviously, there is that. There might be more to it, though. Let me explain. Once it's been opened, I imagine it would be easy to take the real file out and put a fake one in. 

IRUMA: Son of a bitch, that's true! They coulda slipped some totally made up shit in there to smear him! Not like his reputation was any better before. _(cackling disgustingly)_

SHIROGANE: Not only was he murdered, he was also slandered?! I can't tell what's worse… 

AKAMATSU: Murder is pretty obviously worse… 

HARUKAWA: Huh. That's an interesting point, though I'm not sure how exactly that would benefit the culprit. I suppose there's only one way to find out. Monokuma, is the file real? 

MONOKUMA: Hm? Can you read it out to me, tiny purple bastard? I can't see it from here, I need assistance. 

OUMA: _(reading from the file in a dramatic voice)_ Momota Kaito, known as the Super High School Level Astronaut, was actually not an astronaut at all, but a failed trainee-

MONOKUMA: That's the original file for sure, it's definitely the information I had compiled about Momota Kaito. Sorry, bastards, your friend was a violent shithead and a liar! Every word of that file is the honest truth and not a prank prepared by one of you! 

OUMA: Pffft, I thought that was obvious. I don't think we have anything that could print out a file like that. I'd buy it if it were handwritten or, even better, newspaper clippings! 

IRUMA: There ain't no newspapers here either, ya dolt! 

OUMA: Oopsie! My bad. 

HOSHI: _(sighing)_ That's the one theory I had, shot down… I got too excited about the chance that I'm onto something. 

CHABASHIRA: It was a good one, Hoshi-san! And now we know for sure that this is the real file! Tenko assumes that the envelope really was opened just to examine the contents, then… 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, your idea helped us a lot, Hoshi-kun! I'm sure we're closer to figuring it out now. 

HARUKAWA: There may have been some other kind of manipulation involved, but at least it's not a forgery. Is that what you had in mind, Akamatsu? If so, I'm afraid that we reached yet another dead end. 

AKAMATSU: I'll admit that I was wondering about that, and I'm glad that we know it's not the case. That said, I think that the actual contents of the file are another can of worms we should look at right now. Not just because of Momota-kun's previous behaviour as described in it, but…there's another thing… 

OUMA: You're thinking about the programme, aren't you, Akamatsu-chan? I could see it in your eyes, nishishi! 

AKAMATSU: Yeah, that's what's been concerning me. I don't think it's directly connected to the murder, but it's like that part was mentioned in there just to make us wonder about it. 

KIIBO: According to the file, the programme is simply another name for the killing game. But, at least in Momota-kun's case, it seems that its purpose was not just to have us kill each other, but to test whether changes in behaviour caused by anger management treatment would stick despite his memory loss. 

SHIROGANE: That memory loss seems to be a part of the programme, so, since we all seem to be suffering from it, presumably it concerns all of us… 

HARUKAWA: Monokuma. Explain it to us.

MONOKUMA: My lips are sealed for now, sorry! You will find out in due time, promise! Focus on solving the murder for now, you're getting close to the voting time… 

SHIROGANE: A-already? We won't reach the verdict in time! Quick, let's try to guess! 

IRUMA: Are ya braindead?! If you guess wrong I'm gonna fuckin' die! 

SHIROGANE: We would all die… 

IRUMA: Do I look like I give a shit about the rest of you losers? One of you is the murderer, anyway! 

OUMA: Are you sure it's not you, Iruma-chan? 

IRUMA: H-huh? What the fuck are you implying?! I'm above that! 

OUMA: Sure you are. 

AKAMATSU: Anyway, about the programme. Let's think about that later, I guess. It's an important hint but we have to focus on the murder. What I really wanted to say is that since the files seem to play a big role in this case, I have to ask some questions to the people who have opened the envelopes they received… And that's Ouma-kun and Hoshi-kun. 

SHIROGANE: W-wait. S-so it's one of them? One of them is the killer? It's Ouma-kun, isn't it? I never would have expected that from Hoshi-kun. Ouma-kun, well, that's not a surprise… 

OUMA: Thankies! I'm glad you think I could pull it off! 

HOSHI: I expected to be suspected eventually because of that. I took that risk when I told Akamatsu the truth. I was ready for it to come up eventually… 

SHIROGANE: S-so it is you? Akamatsu-san is right? 

AKAMATSU: I didn't say that either of them is the killer. I never said I suspected you, Hoshi-kun, and I don't. I just have questions that might be vital to solving the case. Hoshi-kun, we can start with you if you want. 

HOSHI: I don't mind either way. What is it that you want to know? I'll answer as best as I can. I'm ready. 

AKAMATSU: I want to know whose file you received. That is all. 

HOSHI: It's not enough to know that it wasn't Momota's, huh? I should have expected so. 

AKAMATSU: I don't need you to read it. You don't need to tell me what was in it, for now. But I need to know whose file it was. 

HOSHI: I have no idea what you're getting at, Akamatsu, but I know that you usually know what you're doing… It was Ouma's. 

OUMA: _(tilting his head)_ Oh? 

SHIROGANE: Oh! 

AKAMATSU: I see. That sounds right. 

HARUKAWA: Interesting. That sounds like a file that we should all read to be safe. I'm sure it was quite a read. 

HOSHI: I won't tell you everything that was in it, if that's what you're hoping for, unless he allows it. If you need to confirm that I have it, I could show you the first line, but know that you can trust me on it.

AKAMATSU: I do. I just needed to know for my own information. And you'd never seen Momota-kun's file before the investigation? 

HOSHI: No. Not at all. I wasn't surprised to hear some of what was written in it, based on what I knew about Momota, but everything about him never becoming an astronaut was as much news to me as it was to anybody else. 

IRUMA: Anybody else except for whoever did us a favour and killed him! Unless it was you, chibi, and you're lying outta your ass. 

HOSHI: I didn't kill Momota. I had no reason to. I didn't have anything against him anymore. 

SHIROGANE: Oh! So you used to? 

HOSHI: Momota used to pressure me into getting back into tennis in the most annoying insensitive way you can imagine. He always wanted to do things with me, and I declined everytime. Then, I realised that he had his issues too, and probably needed something to do and someone to keep him in check. We made up, you could say. 

SHIROGANE: I suppose I can understand that… Momota-kun could be scary sometimes, but he was fun to be around…even when he didn't realise what I was talking about… 

IRUMA: Nobody can understand what you're yammering on about, that ain't special! 

SHIROGANE: Ah… That's true. 

KIIBO: In any case, that means it must be Ouma-kun, does it not? 

SHIROGANE: H-he's the only other person who's read their motive, right? Th-then it must have been Momota-kun's! You can't lie your way out of that one! 

HARUKAWA: Well, Ouma? Are you going to say anything for yourself, or just keep grinning stupidly? 

OUMA: Oh, I have to disappoint you both, Shirogane-chan, Harumaki-chan. 

HARUKAWA: Call me that again and I won't hesitate to strangle you. 

OUMA: Oopsie! Anyway, as I was saying, I have to disappoint you. I didn't kill Momota-chan, though maybe I should have. I can't say that doesn't seem appealing, but I don't think I could pull it off that way. I dunno if you noticed, but Momota-chan could easily snap me in half.

HARUKAWA: That's not proof of anything.

OUMA: Oh, no. It's just a fact. I didn't kill Momota-chan, and I never got his envelope. I got Hoshi-chan's. 

HOSHI: Huh? 

SHIROGANE: Oh my! That's such a wonderful coincidence! They received each other's files! 

IRUMA: Ya believe it just like that? 

SHIROGANE: N-no…it sounds too perfect to be true… Which makes me want it to be true…

HARUKAWA: He revealed it just like that, with no hesitation. That's a bold move, or it would be if he could prove it. Well? 

HOSHI: I think I can confirm it… That makes a lot of sense, actually. Of course he would be the one to find out about that…

OUMA: Hoshi-chan, you don't need to give me your vague support. I can prove it, because I have the envelope right here! _(holding it up triumphantly)_

HARUKAWA: ...! 

SHIROGANE: Oh, I almost want to know what it says… 

IRUMA: Of course you do, nosy bitch! 

SHIROGANE: Eek! 

HOSHI: You can read it for all I care…I didn't want to reveal yours, but you don't need to do that for me. I have to face it sooner or later. You have my permission. 

OUMA: _(softly)_ Nuh-uh, not gonna do that, forget about it. I know you didn't kill Momota-chan, and you know I didn't either, do you? 

HOSHI: I know. Still, I wanted to tell you that it's fine. 

SHIROGANE: Ah, this is so dramatic, I can't handle it! 

HARUKAWA: I'm sorry to say that it has to be one of you. Nobody else admitted to having read their motives, so that leaves one of you as the liar, no matter how much you cover for each other. 

AKAMATSU: Not necessarily. This actually proves what I was thinking earlier. 

HARUKAWA: Huh? 

AKAMATSU: All this means is that this murder was committed by someone who isn't Hoshi, Ouma-kun, or Kiibo-kun. Do you think a liar like Ouma-kun would just admit that he's read his motive if he wasn't confident in his innocence? He has proof, too. Monokuma, can you confirm that? 

MONOKUMA: You got me here! Ouma-kun and Hoshi-kun got each other's files because they were getting way too comfortable with each other and I thought it would be fun to mess with that. That doesn't mean neither of them could have come into possession of Momota-kun's file, though. 

AKAMATSU: I'm sure that the person who originally received Momota-kun's file is the murderer who also lied about their activities at night. And I have a pretty good idea of who it is. 

Akamatsu closed her eyes. The four remaining suspects waited in suspense at her verdict. Tenko, Shirogane, Harukawa, Iruma. One of the four girls must have committed the crime and manipulated the situation to cover their tracks. 

Akamatsu knew which of them it was. It couldn't have been anybody else. 

AKAMATSU: Something that was said earlier made me realise that we were going about this case all wrong, because the culprit mislead us when it came to certain aspects of it. Once I realised that, I knew exactly who it is, but first let me explain their lie. 

OUMA: Oooooh, it's getting good. 

KIIBO: What is it, Akamatsu-san? 

AKAMATSU: When we discussed the state of the envelope, Hoshi-kun mentioned the key things about it. The blood, the fact it had been opened… And suddenly it clicked in my head that there was something odd about the envelope, especially knowing what I do about Momota-kun's mood the evening before he died. 

SHIROGANE: I'm afraid that I'm confused… 

IRUMA: Y-yeah, could you speak more clearly, Bakamatsu? We are not inside your head! 

AKAMATSU: What do you think happened to lead up to the situation that killed Momota-kun? It had to do with the motive, yeah? 

CHABASHIRA: Momota-san approached the culprit and asked to talk about his file, which was in their hands, correct? 

AKAMATSU: Now that you said it out loud, do you see how little sense it makes?

HOSHI: If he's the one who approached the culprit, it wasn't about his file, because he couldn't have known who had his. They must have told him about it and offered to talk. Either that or… 

CHABASHIRA: ...it was about the culprit's file, which was in Momota-san's possession? That changes everything! 

SHIROGANE: Oh! They turned it around and made us assume that it was about Momota-kun's file! Clever. 

AKAMATSU: What happened, I think, was that Momota-kun opened his envelope, noticed whose file he received, and decided to quietly return it to them. He didn't expect that the culprit had his file and decided to use it in a murder scheme, he just wanted to be fair to them. 

HARUKAWA: I see… That is a possibility, in which case I feel foolish for falling for the culprit's trap. 

IRUMA: But how can we be sure that's what happened? The culprit having his file seems like a very fuckin' convenient coincidence. 

AKAMATSU: It happened between Ouma-kun and Hoshi-kun, remember? That means there's a chance that other people would get swapped envelopes in pairs, too. It wouldn't surprise me, especially if Monokuma was hoping to provoke people who have a connection into confronting each other. It worked on Momota-kun, who decided to confront the culprit, probably because he read something that was bothering him. 

HOSHI: Besides, he suggested to both Akamatsu and me that he was planning to meet up with someone before going to bed. I'm almost sure it was about that. 

SHIROGANE: W-wait… That means that if Momota-kun never decided to confront the culprit...he would have still been alive? Or was he actually planning to kill them?! Oh, that's so tragic… It's somehow more tragic than the original idea we had! 

KIIBO: For what it's worth, I don't think Momota-kun was planning to kill the person. If he were, I doubt he would have told Hoshi-kun and Akamatsu-san that he had certain plans. He would have been pinned as the culprit immediately if something happened. Granted, Momota-kun wasn't one to always think things through, but that is an oversight even he wouldn't make. 

SHIROGANE: B-but why didn't he tell you who he was planning to talk to, if he wasn't planning to kill them? 

HOSHI: Maybe he was trying to protect their identity in case something went wrong. After all, he didn't reveal what was in their file, either, even though in hindsight it seems like it was something important. 

HARUKAWA: Or perhaps he sensed their bloodlust when he asked them to meet up and talk about it, and suspected that one of them would die. In which case not revealing their identity was foolishly selfless, all things considered. 

OUMA: What if Momota-chan had feelings for his killer? Sounds like something he would do, that loser! 

SHIROGANE: Oh! That is a possibility!

AKAMATSU: That's my train of thought, too. Even so, there is still something that's eating at me. The last piece of the puzzle that I think I have the answer for, and the answer leads me to the culprit, but… 

HOSHI: What is it? Maybe we can figure it out. 

AKAMATSU: The cut on Momota-kun's neck. Remember? 

HARUKAWA: The final blow, correct? What of it? 

AKAMATSU: It seems like a pretty precise cut… While everyone could handle a sickle, I don't think everyone could manage to aim right for the spot, I think it's called medulla oblongata. It was an insta-kill, I'm pretty sure. 

OUMA: What you're implying, Akamatsu-chan, is that only someone knowledgeable about this stuff would be able to successfully deal this blow under pressure and with Momota-chan struggling like crazy. Too bad you eliminated me as a suspect, I could totally pull it off!

AKAMATSU: Sure you could. But you didn't. 

OUMA: Aww, not even letting me have this? 

KIIBO: Akamatsu-san, you said that you know who the culprit is. I still have no idea, despite you detailing your thought process so clearly. Could you please reveal your guess? 

AKAMATSU: It's not hard, really. Someone who Momota-kun would go out of his way to talk to, despite the risk. Someone who would know exactly how to kill him quickly. Someone who has been leading the investigation and the trial from the very start, in hopes of fooling us…

There's only one person it could be… 

AKAMATSU: ...it's you, Harukawa-san, isn't it? 

IRUMA: O-of course it's the emo bitch! Of course… 

CHABASHIRA: ... 

HOSHI: There it is… 

HARUKAWA: What gave you the idea, Akamatsu? I fail to see how I did anything to support that accusation. So you better have some bulletproof reasoning, or I will simply laugh in your face. 

OUMA: Oh-oho! Harukawa-chan is getting nervous! 

HARUKAWA: Do I sound nervous to you? 

HOSHI: You sound defensive. And I agree with Akamatsu. I thought there's something suspicious about you. No offence. 

AKAMATSU: Once I started operating under the assumption that you lied about certain things, the whole case started to make sense. It can't be anybody else, I'm sure of it. 

HARUKAWA: What did I lie about? Elaborate. 

SHIROGANE: She's so confident… Amazing…

HARUKAWA: Of course I'm confident. I know she doesn't have proof. Only assumptions that aren't worth anything. 

KIIBO: Even if Akamatsu-san is wrong, you should listen to her before saying she has no proof! Akamatsu-san, please proceed! 

AKAMATSU: You deliberately tried to mislead us about the events of the murder. Don't you remember? You theorised about the events of the murder in detail…to make us assume certain things. 

HARUKAWA: I made a mistake. That happens. I wasn't trying to mislead you. You're assuming malintent. I would be wounded, if I cared about your opinion of me. 

AKAMATSU: How about the time you lied about Momota-kun never making it to talk to you before he died? 

HARUKAWA: Excuse me? He didn't. I never saw him. 

AKAMATSU: You did. He approached you in the afternoon and told you that he wants to talk to you about the file. You told him to meet you in the storage room at night, where you went in advance to secure your weapon. You were aware of the toolbox because you investigated the storage thoroughly when it was first made available for us. 

HARUKAWA: That's supposed to be evidence? Please. You have absolutely no proof that anything like that happened. 

AKAMATSU: All proof to the contrary is your word, and I just know that it doesn't make sense any other way! I know that the person he was planning to talk to was you. He told me as much, even though I didn't think much of it back then. He said that he wants to apologise to you, and a few minutes afterwards he said that he had something to do later, seemingly unrelated to what we were talking about before. The connection is right there, though. When I asked you about it, you almost seemed panicked, as if I knew something that I shouldn't have, but at the time I just thought you were surprised… 

HOSHI: That makes an awful lot of sense. I think I can even guess why he never told any of us the details and instead just said he has something to do. He probably knew that we would ask about it, and he didn't want to say too much…because I'm pretty sure he had a crush on Harukawa. 

HARUKAWA: Ngh…! 

CHABASHIRA: H-huh? Did he?! Tenko can't believe that he went about it so clumsily! Typical! 

OUMA: Can't you? That's just Momota-chan's style, doing everything in the worst way possible! He turned Harukawa-chan right off! 

AKAMATSU: You couldn't forgive him for finding out the secret from your envelope, whatever it was, and decided to kill him! If he really had a crush on you, it would be easy for you to distract him while you slashed his stomach! You could have even told him to close his eyes and he would listen! 

HARUKAWA: Ngh… 

AKAMATSU: You also got the idea to, after finishing him off, switch the envelope Momota-kun had brought with the one you had, containing his file. 

CHABASHIRA: About the final blow… Tenko remembered something that might be useful…

AKAMATSU: What is it? I assumed that Harukawa-san could easily pull it off because she's read a lot of books about murder and weapons and such. I've seen her leave the library with such books. She pretty much openly admitted that she's knowledgeable about all that stuff… 

CHABASHIRA: Harukawa-san once told Tenko that she's had even better training than Tenko did. It sounded quite odd for a child caregiver, but at the time, Tenko was simply impressed… 

OUMA: That's because Harukawa-chan is not just an ordinary child caregiver. She's an assassin! 

HARUKAWA: You… 

OUMA: Oh, did I get that right? I was just guessing, but from your reaction… 

HARUKAWA: ... 

SHIROGANE: H-huh?! 

KIIBO: What?! 

IRUMA: What the fuuuuuuck?! 

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun. You and Harukawa-san have a connection, don't you? I've been thinking about it for a while now… 

OUMA: Hm? Oh, we lived in the same orphanage for a time, I'm pretty sure. Don't quote me on that, but I knew someone just like her. Harukawa-chan, do you remember me? It would be funny if you did. 

HARUKAWA: I also remember someone just like you, but under a different name… I never made the connection until a few days ago. It might have been you. I wouldn't have thought that you'd want to talk about that past. 

OUMA: What does it matter? That's not how I knew to call you out on being a killer, anyway. You weren't very careful, Harukawa-chan. The way you examined dead bodies during the investigations…yup, that was a dead giveaway. Even the one that was your very own doing! You didn't even flinch! You got blood all over you! 

HOSHI: I see… So it's like that. 

HARUKAWA: I should have killed you as well, Ouma. I don't think the rest of them caught onto that at all. I thought that I was careful enough, but clearly…

AKAMATSU: So, you admit that you did it? 

HARUKAWA: Before I do, tell me how you think I did it. Let's hear how wrong or right you are. 

AKAMATSU: O-okay… 

AKAMATSU: The culprit was approached by Momota-kun the afternoon before the murder. He confessed that he had received their file and wanted to talk about it. The culprit told him to meet up with them at night so nobody would eavesdrop. 

AKAMATSU: While Momota-kun went about his day, trying to hang out and make amends with people before the confrontation, the culprit started forming their plan. They prepared Momota-kun's file and, once nighttime fell, headed towards the storage, where they grabbed a weapon they hid away and waited patiently. 

AKAMATSU: Momota-kun arrived with their file and an apology. The culprit distracted him, retrieved the file, and slashed Momota-kun's stomach open in one swift motion. 

AKAMATSU: Panicked, Momota-kun made a beeline for the door, but was attacked from behind by the culprit, who quickly stabbed the nape of his neck, killing him instantly. 

AKAMATSU: To finish off the crime scene, the culprit switched the files, and left Momota-kun's in the blood-covered envelope beside his body. They returned the sickle to the toolbox, knowing nobody will be able to trace it back to them. Finally, they left bloody fingerprints on the doorknob to draw attention to the storage. 

AKAMATSU: And the culprit who did all that was you, Harukawa Maki, Super High School Level Child Caregiver…or Assassin? 

HARUKAWA: I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone would be able to see through all my misdirections. Suppose I overdid it in the end. 

CHABASHIRA: S-so you really did it? Harukawa-san, how could you? Tenko often wanted to kill Momota-san, but she would never actually go through with it! 

HARUKAWA: Yes. Of course. I had no other choice. 

SHIROGANE: H-huh? 

IRUMA: What's that mean?! 

HARUKAWA: I suppose I owe you an explanation. Akamatsu is right on most fronts, of course, even though she doesn't know the details. I did murder Momota because he received my file and was careless enough to tell me about it. Even if he promised to never share those secrets with anyone, he still had to die, and I think that, on some level, he knew it. I couldn't live with anyone knowing about what was in there. 

OUMA: You read the file as soon as you got it off him, didn't you? Regained some memories? 

HARUKAWA: Of course. I had to see if the contents were what I thought they were. It was even more than I expected...because of the memory loss. I remembered the orphanage, and I remembered murder. But I didn't really connect everything until I read the file. 

KIIBO: Is your actual title Child Caregiver or Assassin…? 

HARUKAWA: Oh, I'm still SHSL Child Caregiver. My job as an assassin was very much secondary. Regardless, it was an undeniable part of me that lay dormant in my amnesiac self, which explains all of the elements Ouma noticed and identified correctly. 

OUMA: I had a feeling. I don't remember much from the orphanage, and you stayed there after I escaped… 

HARUKAWA: Yes. You escaped and I stayed there, taking care of the children. I sometimes wondered what happened. 

MONOKUMA: Alright, your teary reunion is over. It's time to vote! 

VOTING TIME  
HARUKAWA MAKI HAS BEEN VOTED GUILTY! 

MONOKUMA: Congrats, bastard, right for the fourth time!

AKAMATSU: So, I was right in the end… But I really didn't want to be. Harukawa-san, I know you had your reasons, but I still don't understand why it was so important to kill him when he himself offered to give it back to you! 

HARUKAWA: It's a matter of principle. In a way, it was lucky for me that the person who read my file was someone I disliked to begin with. It would have been harder if I cared about him even the slightest bit. He was also really easy to fool. 

HOSHI: If it were anyone else, you would have done the same thing? 

HARUKAWA: Yes. As I said, it's a matter of principle and not a personal grudge. Though, of course, I would have to adjust my plan if it were anybody else. It was really easy to manipulate Momota into meeting me in the middle of the night, away from everyone. It was easy to trick him into closing his eyes so I could easily kill him. It was all so easy that it almost feels like he wanted me to kill him. 

SHIROGANE: Do you have any regrets? I-I mean you're still going to die… 

HARUKAWA: I'm not above throwing my life away for any cause. It's happened before, and I knew that I would never get to leave this place anyway. 

CHABASHIRA: You shouldn't have! You shouldn't have thrown your life away! You don't live just for yourself! Isn't it more selfish to choose to die when there are many people who care about you? _(embracing her tightly)_ You helped Tenko get over the loss of Yumeno-san, and now you leave her alone again? How is that fair to anybody?! You shouldn't have to die! 

HARUKAWA: I'm sorry, I never meant to make you grow attached to me. I didn't think any of you would, with my personality. I learned too late that when you say you care about someone, you do. You remind me a lot of myself… You and Iruma both… So I ask of you both to take care of each other while I'm gone. I don't care much for having to die, but I hate to leave you by yourselves. Akamatsu, you keep them in check, too. 

AKAMATSU: Of course I will. And we will escape this place! I wish you could join us, but we will never forget you once we're free. 

HARUKAWA: I would expect nothing less from you. I won't burden you anymore. Before I go, I want you to take my file. I brought it here with me knowing that I might be found out. It details everything I don't have the time to tell you. Read it only after I die. No sooner. Got it? 

AKAMATSU: Of course. I'll keep it safe. 

OUMA: _(approaching her with a faint smile)_ Harukawa-chan, for an assassin your plan kinda sucked. Did you do that on purpose or what? 

HARUKAWA: _(with a crooked smile)_ I'm out of practice. That may not be the worst thing, in the end. I don't think anybody would want to be good at murder…and I don't need to, anymore. 

MONOKUMA: You saps need to stop postponing the inevitable. It's punishment time! 

CHABASHIRA: No! 

AKAMATSU: Harukawa-san! 

HARUKAWA: _(kissing Tenko's cheek before letting go of her and facing Monokuma)_ Don't worry. I won't go down without a fight. _(grabbing the sickle she had kept hidden under her skirt)_ Bring it on. I'm not afraid of your execution. And you. Everyone. Don't let my memory be sanitized by my death! I was a killer! I was a killer before you knew me and I died a killer! No matter how much you cared, you can't let your falsified memories of me replace the true memories of every time I was harsh and rude and sarcastic at you! Remember that I wouldn't have hesitated to kill any of you! That's my last will! 

Having finished her speech, Harukawa charged at Monokuma with the sickle, when a robotic arm grabbed her from above and picked her up. 

EXECUTION TIME  
HARUKAWA MAKI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY  
EXECUTION: TAG YOU'RE IT!

Harukawa is flung into an open space from above, surrounded by Monokumas. Some of them are wearing kindergartens clothes, while the others are wearing targets on their body parts. There is also a bomb on Harukawa’s back. She begins swiftly striking the Monokumas with the targets with her sickle, while avoiding the Monokumas dressed as kindergarteners. Who seem to be unarmed and following her around for protection. 

Finally, there is only one target Monokuma left for her to strike, but it's wearing an odd mask resembling a girl's face. Harukawa stops in her tracks, shaking, unable to strike the Monokuma. The masked bear presses a button and activates the bomb on Harukawa’s back, blowing up her and all the kindergartener Monokumas cowering behind her. 

EXECUTION SUCCESS!

Akamatsu stared at the execution in disbelief as Harukawa’s body was torn apart by the bomb. She had so many questions. Why did Harukawa hesitate? What would have happened if she didn't? She found herself trembling. 

For now, she hoped to find answers to some unspoken questions in the envelope she received from Harukawa. Everyone, the six remaining participants, gathered around her as she opened it and started to read the file out loud. 

_Harukawa Maki, known as the Super High School Level Child Caregiver, had more to her than meets the eye. In fact, her work at the orphanage was only her day job - her night job, meanwhile, was that of an assassin._

_The details of her work are unknown even to us conducting the programme ('killing game'), including the names and positions of everyone she killed. It is simply known that she was a part of a death cult that trained her to be an assassin._

_It appears that, when she turned eighteen and could no longer stay at the orphanage, she was accepted into a prestigious school for talented high schoolers, where she was eligible to study because of her talent as a child caregiver. It appears that around that time she left her night job behind, focusing on her education._

_There are two notable details from her career as an assassin that we feel need to be mentioned._

_Firstly, the record shows that she actually joined the cult in the stead of her close friend, who was originally considered for it. Harukawa showed great attachment to the friend, and seemed to be grieving when she died soon after Harukawa finished her training._

_Secondly, she was involved in the murder of another friend from her orphanage, who happened to be the daughter of a yakuza. There were no notable behavioural changes after the death, and it seemed not to affect Harukawa at all, at least outwardly._

_While some of our information is incomplete, and it is unknown if Harukawa’s interest im murder is natural or simply a necessity of the job, it is worth noting that she showed no murderous intent during her school years, even towards those she found irritating._

_Due to the nature of the memory loss induced by us, she will not remember her school years, and may only have vague memory of her last year in the orphanage. Whether she will resort to murder is, of course, unknown._

A cold chill ran down Akamatsu's spine. This explained even more than she had expected. 

The mask Monokuma wore during the execution…that must have been the face of the friend Harukawa was hired to murder as a child. 

More importantly, if Momota had read this file in its entirety before approaching Harukawa…he must have known how dangerous she was, and yet he decided to approach her and agree to meeting her all alone in the middle of the night.

Was he convinced that he could appeal to the peaceful side of her mentioned in the file? Or did he expect that those days were behind her altogether? What he did was insanely stupid and reckless, but it showed just how much he believed in his friends. And that, as far as Akamatsu could tell, summed his entire personality up quite neatly. 

She folded the file in half and put it back into the envelope. Without a word, she headed towards the elevator, paying no mind to the voices of her classmates, chattering away around her. 

She was shaken. Harukawa’s last will, begging for her not to sanitize her after her death, echoed inside Akamatsu's head, louder and louder. Is that what she had been doing to the previous killers? To the victims, too, since they were hardly perfect people, either? 

It was easy to like someone who was no longer there. You remembered all their good and useful traits that would now be gone and sorely missed. It was easy to forget that Toujou attempted to kill three people just to get out of the school when she remembered how the same Toujou kindly prepared breakfast for them every day and cleaned the whole building. It was easy also to forget that Shinguuji had killed with no remorse and mocked her and Angie for believing in him when she remembered that the same Shinguuji had so many interesting things to say about culture and art, and that his level-headedness was great help during trials. 

It was, similarly, easy to forget that Harukawa was an assassin who ruthlessly killed her friends as soon as she remembered that Harukawa was also crucial to keeping the group in check and making sure that everyone took care of themselves. Apparently she even gave advice to Tenko and Iruma - was she, perhaps, the reason why Iruma rejoined the group to begin with? However she looked at it, objectivity was difficult to achieve. 

When she was thinking about that, the elevator door opened and let the group out into the hall. It was still relatively easy, since they found the body in the morning and only started the trial around noon. It was now 4 in the afternoon and Akamatsu decided that she needed a drink. 

She headed to the cafeteria and made herself a cup of strong tea to calm her nerves and the pulsating sensation in her temples. 

There were only seven of them left. That was, however she looked at it, less than half of the group, which was a depressing thought on its own, but even more sinister when she realised that it hadn't even been three weeks since the game started. 

Or rather, the programme, whatever that meant. Was there rhyme and reason to this system, after all? From the two files she had read, the rule seemed to be that those chosen for it had a violent past. Then, why was she here? Why was everyone else here? What horrors were hidden in the still yet unsealed envelopes? 

'Akamatsu, I know you're thinking hard, but you might pop a vessel at this rate,' a voice chimed in. 

She turned around. Hoshi. 

'Sorry, Hoshi-kun,' she said apologetically. 'I'm still thinking about what we've read in the files.'

'You're trying to find a pattern, aren't you?' he asked knowingly, nodding his head. 'I don't think there is one, other than the fact that all of us had our memories tampered with in some way. I don't doubt that everything written there is true, but it's not all as intense as Harukawa’s or Momota's.'

'You think?' Akamatsu asked hopefully. 'I've been wondering what's in mine…'

'Whatever it is, don't sweat it. We're all in the same boat here.' Hoshi sighed deeply. 'All that said, I will need to talk to Ouma and read mine. It won't be pleasant, but I'm fine with that.'

'As long as neither of you commit another murder,' Akamatsu tried to joke and instead started sobbing. 'I don't want any more people to die. Never again,' she confessed emphatically. Hoshi started patting her back helpfully. 

'You're keeping us so close together that I think it's possible that no more people will die. As for Ouma and I, you don't have to worry about that,' he added with a smirk. 'There, there. You're crying into your tea. It's going to go salty if you keep this up.'

Akamatsu laughed through the tears and wiped her face with her sleeve. 'When did you become the group dad, huh?' she teased. 

Hoshi's face flushed red, but he seemed happy. 'Somebody has to be. And if I'm lucky enough to still be alive, I might as well be useful.'

'Momota-kun really rubbed off on you,' Akamatsu pointed out. 

Hoshi smiled softly. 'I guess so. But you did, too. I have to go find Ouma now, so I'll see you later.'

She watched him run off, finishing her tea. She was in no rush to go anywhere now. Once she returned to her room, she would go to bed immediately. 

That wasn't entirely true, she realised. She promised herself that she would read her motive, and even though the trial got in the way, she wasn't changing her plans so easily. 

Eventually, she got up from her seat and headed towards the dorms. Nobody was there. She assumed that those who hadn't read their motives before might have been reading them now, or perhaps they were letting the questions they had about their forgotten past eat at them. 

She herself simply went inside her room, closed the door, and immediately opened the bigger envelope. 

The name she saw in the first line of the file wasn't a surprise at all at this point. It just made sense, she figured. 

It made sense that she would receive her own file. 

7 PLAYERS REMAINING  
CHAPTER END: LEAP OF FAITH, DO YOU TRUST?  
RECEIVED GIFT: HARUKAWA'S SICKLE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another trial done, another chapter finished. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I can't believe we really reached this point already. This is one of the earliest culprit-victim pairs I thought up because of my gripes with the canon for them and I'm a spiteful baby.
> 
> For the record, I hope I wasn't too harsh on Momota. I made sure that he got a chance to learn and recover from some of his more ignorant and unsavoury traits. Tough love, I suppose. And I will miss Harumaki very dearly, she really held things together a lot of the time. 
> 
> Anybody seen Ouma and Harumaki knowing each other/growing up together? It was always an idea I liked, and I thought it would be cool to include.
> 
> All in all, I'm proud of the story so far but really terrified of the final chapters possibly going wrong. Some things went places I never expected when I started, and it will be a fun challenge to tie it all together.
> 
> To everyone who wanted more files: here you go! Anticipate Akamatsu's, Ouma's and Hoshi's in the near future.


	42. Chapter 5: Daily Life 1

Ouma Kokichi opened his eyes and squinted at his own arm, which he had been carefully running his fingers over. He narrowed his catlike eyes at the tips of his fingers as his lips curled into a bitter smile.

Anybody who saw him would assume that he was checking his pulse for one reason or another, but he was, in fact, checking for any bumps under his skin that could be hiding, oh, say, a microchip.

Ouma hummed to himself as he slowly and meticulously examined his body.

He had many question about the killing game he ended up thrown into so suddenly. One of those questions went as follows: how exactly did the Monokuma File know in such details about every death in such a short time? Consequently, how did the mastermind determine for sure if someone was dead? You couldn't check the pulse through a surveillance camera, could you?

He had other questions, too, of course. Was Monokuma controlled by someone, or was he an advanced teddy bear robot, similar to Kiibo? Or, perhaps, was it both? He was a robot, but someone could take control of him if they needed to? While they controlled Monokuma, could they watch the cameras?

Of course, he also wondered who was behind the game or allied with those who ran it. Only six people other than himself were left in the game, and he couldn't figure out who might have been suspicious. As such, he just approached everyone with a degree of healthy distrust.

He couldn't continue the examination or his train of thought, interrupted by a doorbell. Getting up, he tried to guess who it could be. Not many people approached him willingly, and he was fine with that, so the surprise visit was a rare occurence he couldn't help but find irritating and exciting at the same time.

Was it Iruma, wanting something from him or coming to bring him something? Was it Akamatsu, there to ask him some annoying questions with that honest and concerned face of hers? There was only one other option he could think of...

'Can we talk?' Hoshi asked when Ouma opened the door.

Of coursee. Hoshi Ryouma was a thorn in Ouma's side for two reasons. Firstly, he seemed to always see through him and the lines he'd spin with his dark, knowing eyes. Secondly, despite his best efforts, Ouma just couldn't bring himself to like him any less, even knowing what he did since he read Hoshi's file two days prior.

That's what he must have come for, he figured with a sense of dread which he concealed behind a grin.

'Hoshi-chan!' he exclaimed. 'Not here. I'll come to your dorm in a minute, 'kay?'

Hoshi shrugged and walked away. He clearly didn't mind either way, but Ouma very much did, even though he was also sure that there was nothing more he could hide that would matter even the tiniest bit to the tiny tennis player, who seemed to know everything about him already.

Ouma grabbed Hoshi's file, carefully closed the door, and rang the doorbell. He was let inside almost immediately.

'Wow, Hoshi-chan, you learned nothing from Harukawa-chan, huh?' he teased, examining his own fingernails. 'It would be so easy for me to kill you now, and nobody would suspect it.'

Hoshi glanced back at him with a calm smirk. 'You wouldn't kill me. I know that much now. Besides, I told Akamatsu that I'm going to talk to you, so she would know.'

'Wow, Hoshi-chan, you're one step ahead after all!' Ouma exclaimed, leaning towards him. 'But, that just means I'd have to kill Akamatsu-chan too! Shame, because I liked both of you soooo much!'

He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw Hoshi's smile drop for just a moment. 'Ouma, you can drop the act,' he said flatly, sitting on the edge of his bed. 'You won't convince me that you would kill either of us. Or anyone, for that matter. Just take a seat and talk to me.'

Ouma's face was stuck in a faint smile. His catlike purple eyes were carefully watching Hoshi as he sat down in front of him on the chair.

'I have no idea what you're talking about, Hoshi-chan. I have no act to drop,' he insisted, playing with his hair. 'I'm the most honest person I know. What did you want to talk about, anyway?' he asked finally, eyeing him curiously.

'Since our files came up in the trial, I thought we could talk about them. Just to get the information straight,' Hoshi suggested, looking him in the eyes. 'You spared me from having everything read in front of everyone, but I'd still want to see it if you let me. I know of at least one thing that's probably in there, but I have to know what else is there,' he confessed quickly, his voice cracking by the end.

'What is the thing you know of?' Ouma asked with a cruel smile. 'It has to be pretty bad, and I want to hear it straight out of the horse's mouth, nishishi.'

Hoshi smiled bitterly. 'You're having too much fun with this. Even though you already know everything.'

'Maybe,' Ouma admitted, playing with a particularly curly lock of hair. 'But maybe you're talking about something I have no idea about. You wanted to get the information straight, not me.'

'I''ll get to the point, if you insist. I'm a murderer,' he confessed, not breaking eye contact. 'I accidentally killed some people. I can't run away from that truth. I wasn't even trying to. I did tell Akamatsu about it.'

Ouma's catlike eyes lit up. 'You did? Interesting. What did Akamatsu-chan say about that?'

'She told me that she doesn't care. I paid for it, she said, by going to prison, and now by being thrown into this game. I kept reminding her of that everytime she talked to me, but she really didn't give up.'

'That's Akamatsu-chan to you,' Ouma said cheerfully, scrunching up his freckled nose. 'I keep trying to recruit her for my organisation, and she won't stop talking to me anyway. She's strange like that. I'm surprised she hasn't been killed yet, with this attitude.'

'The more nonchalant you try to sound, the more I'm convinced you'd be devastated if she died. She's smart enough to know your organisation is a lie, but she still entertains you. More importantly,' Hoshi added, 'I also know your organisation is a lie. I just refuse to play along.'

'Aww, Hoshi-chan, you're no fun,' Ouma whined, stretching his arms. 'It's unfair, too. You hold all the cards as long as I don't know what's in my file.'

'Ouma. You hate me because I'm a murderer, don't you?' Hoshi asked in a straight-foward whisper. 'I know why we got each other' files. It's because mine contains something you'd hate me for, and yours contains reasons why you'd hate me. The nature of your organisation...'

Ouma's smile dropped. He continued playing with his hair. 'I want to hate you, Hoshi-chan,' he confessed in turn. 'But that's beside the point. What about my organisation? It's not a lie if it exits,' he pointed out.

'You and I both know that's not how it works,' Hoshi said bluntly. 'What's the point in lying?'

'That's a stupid question, Hoshi-chan. You yourself know all about lies, don't you?' he fired back, scoffing. 'I doubt you told Akamatsu-chan how many people you killed and why. You probably just said you murdered someone on accident, hmmm?'

Hoshi sighed deeply. 'That's true,' he admitted in a whisper.

'This conversation is booooring,' Ouma said with a yawn, leaving his envelope on the desk as he got up from his seat.

'Going already?' Hoshi asked, with very obvious disappointment in his voice.

'I have something to do,' Ouma informed, avoiding eye contact. That much was true. He had something that h wanted to check urgently.

'Hmmm,' Hoshi hummed, looking at the back of his head. 'If it's not too much to ask, could you come back after you're done?'

'Maybe.'

'I don't understand why you do the things you do, but I still think you know what you're doing. Whateever you need to take care of, I have one thing to ask of you.' Hoshi inhaled deeply. 'Don't get yourself killed.'

Ouma grinned proudly. 'Me, the SHSL Supreme Leader, getting himself killed? Pshhh. Nah, I gotta come back here to get my file off you. I'll be back after the nighttime announcement, probably,' he added, leaving the room. He quickly walked down the hall with pursed lips.

There was so much to take care of, so much to take into account. Hoshi, the observant, knowing Hoshi with an obvious soft spot for him, knowing things others could only suspect, meant that certain measures had to be taken.

At the very least, he was almost sure that Hoshi would cooperate. That was as close as he could get to indulging their mutual soft spot as long as they were in the killing game.

He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

***

_Akamatsu Kaede, known as the Super High School Level Pianist, had a relatively normal childhood, if one counts having no skills or hobbies outside of the piano as normal behaviour._

_Academically, she never did particularly well in any subjects, especially related to science, instead focusing on her artistic endeavours. That got her into trouble with her classmates, who would tease her endlessly, calling her 'piano idiot', referring both to her obsession with the piano, and to her poor grades._

_As a consequence of that, she grew more and more confrontational, eventually deciding to slap the best student in the class for mocking her, while delivering a speech about how it's wrong to pick on people. That act got her suspended for two days, and after she came back even more insults were thrown her way. She decided to let them slide, bottling up her frustrations._

_She started high school with an impressive record in musical competitions, having delivered some solo concerts of her own as well. That success was limited to the piano, though, as her grades remained poor._

_Having a fresh start at the new school, she initially stayed out of trouble, not attracting much attention. Soon, though, cracks began to show, as her confrontational side had returned, often leading her to having arguments with other people in her class. The nickname 'piano freak' returned to haunt her as well._

_Akamatsu, despite her efforts to assimilate into the class and get along with everyone, remained alone with no friends, as everyone was scared to approach her, knowing that her brutally honest and confident approach to arguments, as well as her lack of hesitation when it came to slapping people if they annoyed her, were not things anybody wanted to deal with._

_On top of that, she was heavily opinionated, often scaring potential friends off by voicing her opinions on conversations she had overheard, for instance: scolding a classmate who shoplifted, or calling another classmate's lockpicking skill dangerous._

_Akamatsu's high school life was filled with loneliness and bullying with nobody showing her any kindness, and people rejecting any kindness she might have shown in turn._

_Luckily for her, she was accepted into a prestigious school, based on her talent, where she hoped to finally be free from the judgement of others. As it turned out, indeed, in an environment full of people talented in one field, she didn't stick out quite so much, instead being one of the least odd people there. It seemed to have made her slightly less judgemental as well._

_In the programme ('killing game'), she will be thrust into a situation where she needs to work with people who might have wildly different moral standards and goals than her. In fact, she will have to face the fact that she will have gotten attached to potential murderers. It's a wonder if she will set aside her judgement and cooperate with them or not._

Akamatsu had been reading the file over and over for a while. She dropped to her knees the first time around with a blank expression. 

She pursed her lips as her eyes kept sliding over the words on the piece of paper. 

Wasn't it funny, in a way, that she'd thought that her life was normal and there was nothing that the mastermind could pull on her? Nothing to hurt her, nothing that she would have forgotten? 

It was all coming back now. Yes, the time she slapped the best student in her class, who wouldn't stop belittling her and telling her to just study more. It was unfair, and she was too young to know that sometimes things would remain unfair and get even worse. She didn't remember being suspended, but she did remember looking into the bully's face, her fists clenched, and delivering a speech, asking in her weak twelve-year-old voice, just why did she deserve to be mocked? 

She never got her answer. The girl started crying and told the teacher who had no qualms about punishing Akamatsu - she was a poor student, after all, so it wasn't that big a loss to be rid of her for a while. 

She also remembered her classmates in high school, all thinking they were better than her. Horrifyingly enough, she could clearly remember wishing some sort of an accident upon them, at least those who mocked her. In her rage at being treated unfairly, she would often wonder if there was a way to teach them humility. 

Akamatsu found herself crying. Two streams of tears running down her cheeks without a sound. 

It all made sense, of course. Everything came together now. Her insecurity and suspicion of Angie for disagreeing with her so confidently and having such different ideas and morals was, as she had suspected anyway, rooted in something deep inside her. 

Akamatsu wiped her face, got up from the floor and set the file aside. She went to the bathroom, washed her face thoroughly, found some leftover cookies to eat as a late snack, and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling with knitted eyebrows. 

However much she hated to admit that she had fallen into the trap that the mastermind had set up for her ego and insecurities, at least that was the first and last trap. 

The mastermind must have expected her to judge everyone in the group harshly based on their different ideals, and to mercilessly condemn the killers. Hell, she expected that of herself, too. That's what she had told Saihara before he saw too much and blacked out for three days. 

But, in the end, that didn't happen. She had more sympathy for the culprits than she ever expected to. She still felt sorry for all of them in a way. Was it because she felt so comfortable around the first culprit, Amami, and was able to see that he made a mistake? If someone else had committed that first murder, would she have been so forgiving? 

Amami's trial felt like it was a product of a distant past. She was starting to forget the sound of his voice, sometimes she would even forget that he was a real person she knew not that long ago. So many lives were lost since then, and they all seemed to slowly blur into a distant, fantastical bunch. She saw them in her visions at the piano, she could look into their eyes as painted by Angie, who, she had to remember, was gone as well, killed less than a week ago. 

Akamatsu clenched her fists as her eyes were starting to close involuntarily. She was going to set all differences aside, and make sure that everyone still alive would have a chance to survive. 

With that optimistic thought, she fell into deep sleep from which she woke up ten full hours later. 

She stretched her body and yawned. It didn't feel like she had slept at all, but she couldn't worry about that. It was time to act. 

Since all her attention the evening before was focused on the file, she never got to check out the previous motive. Perhaps, since she wasn't hungry yet, it was time to see what was inside. Nothing could hurt her, since she expected the worst. 

She picked up the envelope and opened it. There wasn't a lot of content inside, she noticed. Mainly, it was photographs…of burning pianos. She wasn't sure if it was the piano she had back at home, but it would make sense for it to be. It sure looked familiar. 

_What would you carry out of a burning building, Akamatsu-chan?_

She smiled bitterly at the connection. There was no piano to carry out of there, eh? 

Aside from the photos, the envelope included a copy of her school diploma and some certificates from the piano competitions she'd won. Her grades…really were no good. 

Perhaps it was smart to open both of the envelopes at the same time, since they went together so well. Of course she grew into a confrontational person because nobody understood her passion… Of course her grades were terrible, but she had excelled in music, at least. 

Akamatsu went to brush her teeth and looked at her own reflection. Something in her expression had changed. Perhaps she was more determined, or, on the contrary - resigned? The realisation that her life was always accompanied by tough choices, odd priorities, and never truly fitting in… 

It was strange that she felt out of place among her similarly one-track-minded peers as well. Even now, she was in her own bubble, trying to figure things out on her own, not confiding in anyone enough…and in turn, nobody confided in her, either. She could feel that her classmates were doing things she had no idea about, and maybe was better off for it. 

Could she really be sure that none of them were complicit in imprisoning the group in this odd school? 

Maybe if she weren't so isolated, she would have stopped the murders. How hypocritical of her to preach about working together while not being entirely honest with anyone, she thought, in a  self-deprecating mood. 

To be entirely fair, it didn't depend entirely on her, did it? The others wouldn't always let her talk to them honestly, deliberately avoiding certain topics or lying…not always with bad intentions, necessarily, just out of self-preservation. 

Akamatsu finished getting ready to face the day and head out to the cafeteria, which had just opened as the morning announcement rang out above her head. 

As she stepped out into the hall, Akamatsu wondered if trust in another could truly exist in a killing game like this one. She liked to think that she trusted all of her friends, but, after watching four of them commit murder under her nose, it seemed foolish at best to insist that she believed in everyone. 

Or, perhaps, trust meant nothing without doubt? Without the hesitation she felt whenever she looked around the courtroom? Maybe the benefit of the doubt she gave everyone even knowing that they were guilty was as good as it got? 

Akamatsu looked back at the dorms. Momota's door was right in front of her, reminding her of the conversation she had with Harukawa. 

Momota was a complicated person. He definitely had a somewhat scary side to him that could choke someone out without hesitation. But, he definitely had good qualities that helped the group a lot in the end. He always meant well, even if sometimes he made mistakes and hurt others in the process. He made up with Ouma after he turned out to be innocent, he kept trying to cheer up Hoshi, he buried the hatchet with Tenko, he acknowledged that he shouldn't have outed Akamatsu, and even tried to apologise to Harukawa. He was always willing to right his wrongs and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. In the end, his trust in others killed him, but it was an admirable quality nonetheless. Akamatsu wished she could put so much trust in a person she knew was a dangerous killer. 

Harukawa, on the other hand… 

She never trusted anyone, and didn't seem to believe that she deserved to be listened to. She carried heavy baggage all on her own and didn't let anyone see she was hurting by being sarcastic and unpleasant towards everyone who talked to her. Even then, she helped the group a lot, examining the bodies before every trial, sharing her knowledge and making sure that there's no false information clouding their judgement of the crime… And she never wanted credit for any of that. In her last will, she asked to be remembered fairly, but what she probably wanted was to avoid being thanked for her effort, because she found it unearned… But Akamatsu was going to give her credit anyway. 

She headed towards the cafeteria and was surprised to see someone already there. 

'Tenko-san?' she whispered softly so as not to startle her. 

'Oh, Kaede-san. Tenko is happy to see you,' she said, turning towards her with a faint smile. 

'You look like you have something you're dying to talk about,' Akamatsu pointed out, pouring herself a cup of tea before sitting down beside her. 'I'm all ears, you know?' 

'You're right about that,' Tenko admitted, her smile dropping for a moment. 'Tenko has been thinking about the trial…but she didn't want to bother anyone with her thoughts.'

'Hey. You can always knock on my door, okay? I'll always listen to you,' Akamatsu assured, knowing damn well that she would have been absolutely no help, given the state she was in the evening before. 

'Tenko will keep that in mind, but it seemed like something was bothering you as well, so she didn't want to step on your toes…and she wasn't sure if Shirogane-san or Iruma-san would want to talk, either.'

'I think Harukawa-san would want you to talk to Iruma-san. That's what she said before she…went away, you know? I think Iruma-san needs a friend now, too. I should talk to her when I see her.'

'That's true. Tenko is just…too nervous. Speaking of Harukawa-san, though, that's what she's been thinking about,' she confessed quietly. 

'I figured,' Akamatsu murmured, supportively stroking her shoulder. 'Let it all out.'

'Do you think Harukawa-san wanted to be caught?' Tenko blurted out. 'Tenko has been thinking about it, and…'

'Oh. You're wondering if she intentionally made some mistakes to let us find her out, or if it was just an honest mess-up?' Akamatsu pondered that question. She wasn't sure which answer Tenko would prefer to hear. 

'Tenko just finds it hard to believe that an experienced assassin would commit a murder that would be so easily solved…'

'It's not that hard to believe, actually,' Ouma's voice chimed in from the door, startling them both. 

'How long have you been here for?' Akamatsu asked, shocked. 

'How dare you eavesdrop on Tenko!' she exclaimed, glaring in his direction. 

'I only heard the last thing you said,' Ouma explained with a shrug, heading towards the fridge. 'If you want to have a private conversation, go to your dorm room. Or the storage,' he added with a malicious grin, retrieving a fizzy drink from the refrigerator. 

'Eavesdropping aside,' Akamatsu said, trying to calm Tenko down, 'what do you mean, it's not hard to believe?' 

'Don't you think there's a difference between killing someone because you were hired to, and killing someone because YOU want to, in a closed space on top of that?' Ouma asked, pointing his finger at her. 'It's hard to catch an assassin because it's easy for them to not leave any evidence behind. Harukawa-chan had a harder time with that. She messed up. That said,' he added with a softer smile, 'I think she probably wanted us to catch her. She didn't kill because she wanted to escape, after all. She just wanted to be rid of Momota-chan.'

'That makes sense, but Tenko doesn't like that you're saying it,' she said with a hostile look. 'Don't talk about Harukawa-san as if you know how she felt!' 

'Ouma-kun, didn't you say you knew Harukawa-san?' Akamatsu pointed out, eyeing him carefully. 'Did you know her enough to be able to tell?' 

'Oh, that was a lie. I didn't know Harukawa-chan at all. I was from a totally different orphanage and just messing with her.'

'She sounded like she knew you,' Akamatsu remarked. 

'Don't you think there are plenty of young boys in every orphanage? She probably remembered someone totally else,' Ouma insisted, heading towards the door. 

'Why is it so important that we think you didn't know Harukawa-san?' Akamatsu asked his back, but her question was interrupted by an announcement. 

'Everyone, gather at the gym!' Monokuma's voice called out from the speaker. 'If you don't, you will be executed on sight! See you in a minute, bastards!' 

***

The seven remaining students gathered in the gym soon enough. The last one to arrive was Shirogane, who seemed to have been asleep when the announcement rang out. Akamatsu couldn't blame her. It was hard to fall asleep after a trial, sometimes. 

The door shut behind them and they waited for Monokuma to appear. 

Akamatsu looked around the room and was overwhelmed by how much space there was in it, compared to the first time they gathered there, sixteen scared strangers, looking around in confusion. 

Only seven out of that sixteen were left, and, as she noticed, all of them seemed extremely tired and worn from the stress of being in a killing game. Many of them seemed to have gotten no nights of good sleep for the past weeks, revealed by the bags under their eyes and the paleness of their skin. 

None of that applied to Kiibo, and yet he seemed different as well, less naive in a way, perhaps. He had learned a lot from his classmates, most of it not good. Many harsh lessons learned about the nature of humanity weighed on his robotic features in a way Akamatsu couldn't quite explain. 

'Sorry for keeping you waiting in this unbearable silence!' Monokuma exclaimed, startling her. 

Everyone looked at him with a mixture of fear and anticipation. What did he want from them? Were they finally free to go? 

'I have some good news for you bastards! Congratulations, you unlocked the last parts of the school! You're now free to explore the floor below this one, and one super special area that you will have to find yourselves!' the bear informed with glee. 

Akamatsu' s heart skipped a beat. Was there a chance that they would finally be allowed to find the exit and leave? 

'What's the secret area?' she asked suspiciously. 

'I just said you have to find it yourself! I think you might like what I've prepared,' Monokuma remarked, snickering into his paws. 

'I guess there's no choice but to explore,' Hoshi muttered under his breath. 

'I do wonder what the secret area is…' Kiibo said quietly, tapping his chin. 

'I have to say, I'm proud of you guys,' Monokuma added suddenly. 'You did so well in a trial against an experienced killer. The reason why I'm unlocking the super secret area for you is because I'm actually impressed with you bastards! Keep it up.'

Having said that, he disappeared. The gym door opened automatically. 

Akamatsu took a deep breath. It was time to explore the' basement' floor. She had a feeling that it would bring her closer to solving some of the mysteries of the school. But, given Monokuma’s track record, there was probably a catch… 

She couldn't let herself be discouraged again. 

CHAPTER 5: LIFE'S A STUDY OF DYING.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all seemed to be really concerned about Ouma and Hoshi, so I decided that I might as well knock Ouma's POV bit out already, especially as it's already his birthday in Japan! Happy birthday, perfect boy. Did this bit ease your souls or did it make the concern worse? I'm hoping it was at least interesting either way!
> 
> And now we also have Akamatsu's files to cross out of the list of things to reveal. Many people were curious about it so hey! 
> 
> By the way, thank you all so much for all the comments on the previous chapter. It's truly incredible to know that my silly project matters to so many people. God bless.


	43. Chapter 5: Daily Life 2

'Hey, Iruma-san, want to go exploring the new area with me?' Akamatsu asked, watching Ouma, Hoshi and Shirogane leave the gym already. Not everyone had already had brakfast, so they were probably in a rush to eat something before exploring. Meanwhile Tenko was talking to Kiibo, 

'Eh, Bakamatsu?' Iruma was so startled that she almost tripped over her feet. She shook her head, looking away. 'Nah, I have something I need to check out. See ya,' she informed, taking off quickly. She really seemed to be in a rush, but what could she possibly need to do now?

Akamatsu heaved a sigh. She was starting to think that would never be able to understand what was going on in Iruma's head. All she could do was hope for her safety.

While she was thinking about her, Tenko and Kiibo had also left the gym, and now Akamatsu was by herself. She went towards the door, biting her lips. She had to be extremely careful and not miss anything while exploring the basement. There was a chance that the exit was hidden there, and it would be a big mistake to miss it.

She headed downstairs, holding her breath.

The basement felt smaller and more narrow than every other floor. It consisted entirely of a narrow hall with doors on both sides and one at the end very – that last door was locked away with tape and heavy chains, so she decided not to concern herself with it quite yet.

The door directly to her left was locked as well, but she could almost make out some kanji under the tape...

...'infirmary,' they seemed to say A cold chill ran down her spine. Is that where the bodies of their dead friends were kept after they had been collected from the crime scene or after the executions had finished? She couldn't help but wonder if that was the original purpose of the room or if the mastermind had repurposed a perfectly innocent space like that...

In any case, she couldn't have checked yet, so she checked the door to the right instead.

As it turned out, it was a generator room of sorts. There was some machinery there that appeared to be responsible for providing the to the whole school. It was too complicated for Akamatsu to really comprehend what she was seeing there, but she gathered that that must have been the function. On the other side of the room was another huge contraption that, as she guessed, provided central heating. In fact, the room itself was incredibly warm, and she was starting to get dizzy...

'Wow, Akamatsu-chan, don't go passing out,' Ouma's voice said to her as a pair of scrawny arms held her from behind. Had she really...almost lost consciousness? She opened her eyes wide and looked up into Ouma's smiling face. 

She stood up straight and wiped her forehead off sweat. 'Sorry about that,' she said apologetically. 'It's just so hot in here.'

'Uh-huh,' Ouma hummed. 'If we destroyed these machines, we'd seriously mess up the school,' he pointed out with a cheerful smile. 'Are you in, Akamatsu-chan?'

'Absolutely not!' she protested, shaking her head. 'I'd rather be warm until I find a way to escape from here. I feel like it's really close.'

Ouma pursed his lips with an expression she couldn't quite read. 'As always, you're no fun, Akamatsu-chan. Bo-ring!'

She rolled her eyes. 'At least I don't have such stupid, reckless ideas,' she teased. She was getting dizzy again.

Ouma grinned cruelly. 'Do you have _any_ ideas?' he asked. 'I feel like you have no idea what you're actually waiting for here, Akamatsu-chan.'

Akamatsu looked at him with her mouth wide agape in offended surprise. 'I'm figuring out my options before I do anything,' she said quietly. 'If I can just find the exit...I'm sure we'll get out.'

Ouma didn't respond, looking up at the generator and tapping his chin, deep in thought.

Akamatsu elected to leave the room already in order to avoid fainting. She trusted that Ouma wouldn't do anything dangerous in there.

In the hallway she passed by Kiibo, who waved at her shyly.

'I am hesitant to enter this room,' he explaind, pointing at the second door to the left. 'I sensed that it might not be good for me to enter, because of the temperature. Chabashira-san did go inside, though, so you will find her there.'

She nodded at him with a sympathetic smile, and made the room her next destination, which turned out to be a food storage – indeed, rather cold in contrast to the generator room she had just left. It was full of fridges and freezers with various types of meat and other types of food. Tenko was there, as Kiibo had noted, looking through the fridges in awe.

'Whoa!' Akamatsu exclaimed, joining her as well. 'So, this is why we don't run out of food up there, I guess?' she remarked, looking up at the ceiling. 'We're right under the cafeteria, aren't we?'

'Tenko thinks so!' she seconded, nodding excitedly. 'There might be some secret way to transport food diectly from here to there, right?' she mused, looking up as well. 'Perhaps a trapdoor! But Tenko can't see anything!'

'It's probably concealed well,' Akamatsu remarked, squinting. 'What if that's why the cafeteria is closed at night? So they can refill the fridge without us noticing how it's done?' she thought out loud, looking around again.

Tenko gasped. 'That might be the case,' she said, 'but then, isn't it a mistake to unlock it now?'

Akamatsu shook her head. 'Not necessarily,' she mused, 'because now we can just refill it ourselves, maybe? Besides,' she added, hugging herself, 'it's so cold here that I can't stand to stay here any longer.'

Tenko nodded, shivering. 'That is true. Tenko can't stand the cold anymore, either.' 

They both left and carefully closed the door. Then, along with Kiibo, they headed towards the last room on the left, which turned out to be...

'...A casino?!' Akamatsu exclaimed in surprise. That was perhaps the last thing she expected to find in the school. That is, after the infirmary, at least...

Game machines lined the walls, decorated with flashy lights and inaproppriate posters, while a fluff maroon carpet covered the whole floor. The room was somewhere between eleegant and kitschy – in fact, it fell right in the middle, somehow.

'Ironic that we got access to this place after Momota died,' Hoshi remarked calmly as he watched Shirogane insert coins into one of the machines.

'Oh, right. He liked gambling,' Akamatsu recalled. She resisted the urge to say that at least when he's dead, he won't be tempted into wasting all his life savings. 'Is that just me, or does this seem...out of place?'

'Ah, I suppose a casino being in the basement is fitting, though?' Shirogane pointed out, struggling to focus on the game.

'I mean, maybe,' Akamatsu agreed with an awkward smile, 'but does it really belong in a school?'

'Oh. I didn't think of that.'

'If this school made sense to begin with, maybe I'd be surprised,' Hoshi said, 'but I think I lost the ability to find anything here weird.'

Akamatsu was inclined to agree with him. She walked down the row of machines, trying to find one that would interest her. She stopped when she noticed one that seemed to invlove musical notes in some way.

It wouldn't hurt to just play once, would it?

She inserted a coin...

After a while, she inserted another....

She lost track of time a bit, but was brought back to reality by two things that happened at the same time.

Firstly, she won the game and received a lot of coins.

Secondly, Iruma kicked the door of the casino and stomped inside, screaming.

'Hey, losers. Guess what!'

Everyone's eyes foocused on her with a certain degree of uneasiness.

'W-what?' Shirogane asked.

'Your favourite golden girl genius made an amazing discovery!' she gloated, pounding her chest. 'I found the motherfuckin' secret area!'

Akamatsu's eyes widened. She had forgotten about that entirely. So the 'super secret area' that Monokuma talked about wasn't a lie? 'Where is it?' she asked, walking towards Iruma, having gathered all her coins and stored them away in her baackpack. 'And, what is it?'

'It was right under yer noses!' Iruma cackled, holding her stomach. 'We got a pool! A whole-ass pool! Next to the gym! Follow me if ya wanna see!'

'I'll go tell Ouma,' Hoshi offered, leaving the casino. Everyone else followed Iruma up the stairs in an excited anticipation.

Akamatsu had never paid attention to the gym much. It wasn't her favourite place to be, and the only time she really found herself there was either because Monokuma forced them to assemble, or because something was happening between two of her classmates…usually involving Momota, now that she thought about it.

As such, she also never really noticed that there were two doors by the tennis courts, apparently leading to changing rooms with lockers with their names on them, where they could change into swimsuits or tracksuits or whatever else that suited them. 

Now that she had entered the girls' locker room, along with excitable Iruma and nervous Chabashira and Shirogane, she could see that it led to the 'secret' area they apparently had earned by solving the previous case - a giant pool. 

Akamatsu wasn't much of a swimmer, and she didn't think that it was in good taste to reveal the existence of a pool when less than half of the participants were left alive, but maybe it would provide some sort of a calming atmosphere, at least… 

For better or for worse, Iruma seemed to be enjoying it. 

'See, I told ya! Bitchin', ain't it?' she exclaimed enthusiastically. 'I'm gonna skinny dip into it, just ya watch,' she announced, unbuckling her overalls.

'I'm not sure if that's a good idea,' Shirogane tried weakly to protest. 

'Iruma-chan, don't contaminate the water already!' Ouma scolded, catching up with them. He and Hoshi had gone through the boys' locker room without changing. 

'Oh shut the fuck up,' Iruma cut him off, irritated, stomping her foot in his direction. 'You'd be blessed to swim in the same water that touched the body of the golden-brained goddess, Iruma Miu! Ya shitty twink!' 

'If you skinny dip into the pool, I'll stand on the edge and pee into it,' Ouma informed innocently, putting his finger up to his mouth. 

'Straight into my mouth…you wish!' Iruma spat out, her face flushing. 'You're too chickenshit to do anything like that.'

'Not to interrupt but, Ouma-kun, Hoshi-kun, Kiibo-kun didn't come inside with you?' Akamatsu asked, glancing around. She couldn't see the robot anywhere. 

'Kiibo didn't really want to come. I can understand it,' Hoshi informed. 'He doesn't have much use of a pool, anyway.'

'That's true, but…I feel like he'd feel lonely if we all decide to relax here. He wouldn't have to go into the water,' Akamatsu reasoned, concerned. 'I'll go check on him. Hoshi-kun, please make sure that Iruma-san will stay decent while I'm gone.'

'I'll do my best,' Hoshi assured, smirking. 'Do what you need, Akamatsu. He should be standing outside or inside the gym, I doubt he went anywhere farther.'

Akamatsu rushed back into the gym through the changing room and found the robot examining the tennis court curiously. He had picked up a racquet and was examining it with scientific curiosity. 

'Hey, Kiibo!' she called out to him, waving her hand. 'You're not going to join us at the pool?' 

Kiibo looked at her with a resigned smile, setting the racquet down. 'Akamatsu-san, I should have expected that you would ask me about it. What purpose is there in me joining you? I cannot swim, as you can imagine,' he pointed out sheepishly, gesturing towards his metallic body. 

'So what? I don't think everyone will want to swim anyway. You can just hang out,' Akamatsu suggested, patting his shoulder. Kiibo still didn't seem convinced. 'Hey, what's up? You seem kind of down,' Akamatsu prompted with a concerned expression. 

'I've been thinking a lot,' the robot confessed, looking down at his fit. 'Do you truly think I belong there? I value your opinion.' 

'Of course!' Akamatsu assured immediately with an enthusiastic smile. She got the feeling that when he said 'there', he didn't mean just the pool. 'Why would you not belong? Did someone make you feel that way? I'll make sure they never do it again!' She puffed out her cheeks in agitation. 

'Perhaps Ouma-kun contributed to that feeling somewhat, but even without his teasing, it's quite clear. Before you enter the pool, you have to go through one of the changing rooms…isn't that already a sign that I am not welcome? As I said before, while I appear masculine, robots don't really share the human concept of gender, so I cannot even meaningfully choose either of them, and even if I did…I do not need a swimsuit, unless it would be waterproof and cover my entire body, which I doubt is a viable option.'

'Jeez, you sure complain a lot,' Akamatsu noted with a hint of annoyance. 'I mean, I get these problems,' she added apologetically, 'but you can't just go having a crisis over this, okay? Let's see…'

'Akamatsu-san, I can tell you really want me to come. Why is that?' Kiibo asked in a somewhat puzzled voice. He seemed mildly offended at his concerns being dismissed in a way, but he was too polite to complain. 

'I want the group to stay united in the face of the mastermind. The best way to bond is over doing something fun together. I wouldn't want you to feel excluded.' She paused and pointed her finger at him with a wide smile. 'Tell you what, choose whichever changing room you want to go through! It doesn't matter anyway, right? You can even go back with me. And, I just thought of it, since whoever set up the locker rooms didn't consider that you'd be interested in swimming or anything like that, couldn't Iruma-san make you a full-body waterproof swimsuit?'

Kiibo' s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. 'I never thought of that. Iruma-san already does so much for me, I don't doubt she would be capable of creating something like that.'

'I don't doubt it either,' Akamatsu assured, reaching her hand out to him. 'So, how about it? Wanna come just once to take a look? I'll watch Ouma-kun so he won't be able to bother you.'

'It would be rude to say no at this point, wouldn't it?' Kiibo remarked with a shy smile. 

'Very,' Akamatsu confirmed with a nod, chuckling, as Kiibo took her hand. 'Hmm, maybe I'll actually change into a swimsuit,' she mused as they entered the changing room. 'A dip in the pool sounds really relaxing.'

'I have never seen a swimsuit before,' Kiibo remarked somewhat excitedly. 'Would you mind if I watched you put it on?' 

Akamatsu flushed red. 'I would mind, actually,' she decided, 'so could you turn around, or close your eyes, or something?' 

'Of course!' Kiibo assured, putting his hands over his eyes. 'I was not sure how comfortable you are with certain things. Iruma-san, for example, likes to talk about exposing herself quite a lot.'

'I can imagine,' Akamatsu murmured, putting on the swimsuit she found in the locker with her name on it. It was a purple one-piece that fit her perfectly and made her less insecure about her body than, say, a bikini would. 

The changing room, as she noticed, didn't seem to have cameras. Did the mastermind not want to be a peeping tom, or something? Instead, there were lockers, unlocked by the student IDs, for all eight of the girls who were included in the killing game. Now, only half of them remained… 

There were also towels, which she welcomed, but it also made her wonder about something. The swimsuits weren't regular school ones, and the towels seemed somewhat personalised, too. Did the mastermind…buy them specially for everyone? She didn't recall buying a swimsuit recently, but, after all, she did lose some memories… There was a chance that she had bought it in the two-three years she didn't remember…it seemed more plausible when she considered that it fit her curvy, somewhat chubby body perfectly. 

'You can look now, I guess,' she informed Kiibo, who took his hands off his eyes, watching as she put her ID in her backpack and carried it in her hand. 

'Amazing!' he remarked. 'I need to do more research on these, for sure, so I can be sure that mine will guarantee the optimal experience. Should Iruma-san decide to prepare one,' he added to be safe. 

'I don't think yours would look like that,' Akamatsu informed with an awkward smile, heading out to the pool. Kiibo trailed behind her with a curious expression. 

As soon as Akamatsu entered the pool area, she noticed that Iruma had changed into her swimsuit - fittingly, a black-and-pink bikini - in the meantime, and was now sitting on the edge with her legs in the water, clearly afraid to actually swim. 

'Oh, hey, it's Kiibs!' she exclaimed excitedly, waving at him. 'Watch this!' she demands before entering the water and doing the doggy paddle. 

Ouma laughed so hard he almost fell over. He was sitting on the edge of the pool too, having removed his cloak and pants, leaving on his straitjacket and the brightly-coloured boxer briefs. He had been happily kicking the water, and was now aiming to kick Iruma instead. That proved to be a mistake, as she grabbed his foot and dragged him into the water. 

Akamatsu set her backpack down by Kiibo's geet and jumped into the pool to separate them, scolding both for different reasons. Iruma was desperately clinging onto her arm, while Ouma had already swam back to the edge and was grinning down at her, soaking wet. 

'Ouma-kun, you're going to catch a cold,' Akamatsu informed tiredly. 'Hoshi-kun, could you go to the changing room with him and make sure he's dry? There are towels in there, I'm pretty sure.'

Hoshi's face flushed slightly more pink, but he nodded his head. 'I saw some towels in there. We should be fine.'

'What am I, a kid?' Ouma protested, pouting while Hoshi helped him up. 'I can dry myself out if I want to. Or I can just shake it off all over Iruma-chan. Or Kiiboy,' he added with a mischievous grin. 

'If you touch Kiibo-kun, I will not hesitate to kill you,' Akamatsu warned, trying to stay above the surface with panicked Iruma clinging onto her. 'It's always better to have someone help dry you out. Just go with Hoshi-kun,' she ordered, trying not to break into a smile. 'Get him a change of clothes, too!' she reminded Hoshi, who gave her a thumbs up behind Ouma's back. 

When the two of them finally left, Akamatsu gently pushed Iruma away. She hadn't realised that Shirogane was now in a swimsuit as well - a black one-piece -, approaching them nervously. She dipped her toe into the pool before swimming over without a word. Iruma failed to notice her and spat the water that had gathered in her mouth when she lost balance right into Shirogane's face. 

'Aaahh!' she shrieked, rubbing her eyes. Akamatsu had just noticed that she wasn't wearing her glasses, and she prayed that they weren't knocked into the pool by Iruma's water gun attack. It was, indeed, super effective. 

'Shirogane-san, where are your glasses?' she asked with concern, after elbowing Iruma's side. 

'Tenko has them,' Tenko informed them. She hadn't changed into a swimsuit and was sitting by herself about a meter away from the pool - which seemed like a smart choice if one didn't want to get wet. 

'Hey, Tenko-san,' Akamatsu called out to her, 'you're not going to join us?' 

Tenko shook her head with an apologetic smile. 'Sorry, Tenko doesn't feel like it right now. Maybe later, though.'

Akamatsu's smile dropped. Was Tenko still thinking about Harukawa? At least Kiibo wasn't alone on land, as he sat next to her and watched over the trio in the pool as well, holding Akamatsu's backpack between his legs. It was oddly fitting that the two classmates she was worried about the most were keeping each other silent company like that. 

'Ah, Chabashira-san, are you perhaps thinking about Harukawa-san still?' Shirogane asked, squinting her short-sighted eyes. 'I couldn't help but notice that you and Harukawa-san seemed quite…close.' Her eyes lit up unnaturally as she emphasised the last word. 

'Shirogane-san, I'm not sure if that's-' Akamatsu hissed under her breath but she didn't get to finish her thought, as Iruma chimed in as well. 

'Yeah, did she kiss ya on the cheek or did I hallucinate that?' she asked in a husky voice, clinging onto the edge of the pool. Her eyes were focused on Tenko as she tapped her fingers against the edge. 'That was some weak-ass shit. Ya shoulda just gone all the way out there. Only live once, y'know?' 

'Iruma-san!' Akamatsu cried desperately. 'I really don't think-' 

'It's fine, Kaede-san, Tenko can talk about it. It's fine now that no terrible boys are around to hear and make fun of her,' she said with a weak smile, glancing at Kiibo who smiled back gratefully. 

'Oh, it's like a sleepover, except we're at the pool!' Shirogane exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands and splashing the water around in the process. Iruma made a motion as if she was about to drown her, but Akamatsu grabbed her wrist with a disapproving glare. 

'Tenko never told anyone about the time she caught Momota-san pestering Harukawa-san, did she?' 

'Huh, what?!' Shirogane was so shocked that she almost swallowed some of the pool water. 'Do go on!' she insisted. 'I need to hear all about this!' 

'Gimme all the dirt!' Iruma seconded, drooling slightly. Her pupils were dilated. 

Akamatsu had never felt more second-hand embarrassment and a stronger urge to hide her face in her hands and scream. 

'Tenko saw that Harukawa-san seemed uncomfortable, and she told Momota-san off. He ran off like he was scared!' she emphasised proudly. 'Harukawa-san wasn't happy, though. She said that she could have handled it herself and that Tenko shouldn't have meddled. And then she…brought up Yumeno-san,' she continued, shivering momentarily. 'She asked if Tenko wanted to get another girl killed by protecting her against her will.'

'That bitch,' Iruma muttered under her breath. 'She read you for dirt, though!' 

'Iruma-san!' Akamatsu scolded, elbowing her in the side again. 

'Ow, Bakamatsu, you fuckin' clumsy bitch, watch yourself!' Iruma screamed, massaging her side. 

'What happened then?' Shirogane asked, holding her breath. She was kicking her feet in the water rapidly. 

'Her words were harsh, but she was right in the end… She said that Tenko didn't even know Yumeno-san that well and was idealising her after her death. It…it might be true. In any case, it was no good to keep thinking about it. But, instead of just not thinking at all, Tenko started growing attached to Harukawa-san, even though she was so harsh and rough around the edges. She was kind, but never to herself. And then…' Tenko paused, hugging her knees. 'Then she left, too, just like Yumeno-san. Tenko has no idea what the kiss was for, but she can still feel it on her skin…'

'I think,' Akamatsu said carefully, 'that the kiss was supposed to make it up to you. The fact that Harukawa-san had to go, I mean. And maybe her previous harsh words too.'

'Oh, that's so romantic!' Shirogane cried, wiping her face.

'Idiot!' Iruma screamed, hitting her over the head. 'Now she's goin' to be fuckin' moping about another dead birch! Stop enabling it!'

'Iruma-san!' Akamatsu warned, but then her eyes widened in surprise as all three of the girls in the pool looked back at Tenko. 

She was laughing. There were tears streaming down her face, but she was definitely laughing, a refreshing laugh that she must have needed for so long after the killing game kept crushing her spirit and taking away from her, trial after trial. She was laughing out of relief and out of amusement at Iruma's words, laughing at herself, too. She had never seemed more strong and beautiful despite the reddish whites of her eyes and the way her shoulders shook. 

Akamatsu glanced at Iruma, who was blushing with her mouth agape. The pinkness of her skin brought out the light freckles under her eyes that Akamatsu had never noticed before. 

'Don't worry about Tenko, Iruma-san. She will be fine. That's a promise,' she assured, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Kiibo took Shirogane's glasses off her helpfully. 

'It's not like I cared at all,' Iruma muttered, playing with her hair nervously. 'Augh, fuck it,' she said loudly, getting back onto the surface, 'it's getting fuckin' cold in this shitty pool. I'm peacing out,' she announced, heading towards the changing room hurriedly. 

Akamatsu got out of the pool and helped Shirogane out as well. They retrieved the glasses and backpack from Kiibo and all of them headed towards the changing room as well, laughing on the way there. 

Iruma was already gone by the time they went inside. Akamatsu guessed that she probably wanted to be alone for now for her own reasons… It would have been concerning, under normal circumstances, but she seemed somewhat lively during the conversation, much unlike her disposition earlier in the day. Perhaps it helped not only Tenko, but her, too. 

Kiibo quietly left the changing room, allowing the girls to change in peace. Akamatsu sent him a grateful smile that he didn't get to see. 

Akamatsu got out of her swimsuit and back into her normal clothes. She shuddered when the material touched her wet skin. Shirogane seemed to have the same problem, which both of them laughed about afterwards. Tenko excused herself and left as well, embarrassed by being in the changing room despite not wearing a swimsuit. Akamatsu wanted to call out to her and ask her to come back, but it was too late. 

'Say, Shirogane-san,' she tried instead, 'wanna grab a coffee? I'm thirsty after all that swimming.'

'Ah, of course!' Shirogane responded enthusiastically, startled by the fact she was addressed directly to begin with. 'I might have swallowed some pool water, but that doesn't count as a beverage, does it?' 

'It doesn't,' Akamatsu confirmed with a laugh. 

'In any case, I'd love to grab a coffee and maybe a snack before bed,' Shirogane assured, hurriedly brushing her wavy hair to rid it of the moisture. 'Do you think Hoshi-kun and Ouma-kun are fine, by the way?' she prompted with a concerned expression. 'I think they're gone to the dorms already…'

Akamatsu smirked. 'They'll be fine, and so will Iruma-san and the others. C' mon, let's go!' she said impatiently, heading towards the exit. Shirogane followed her, still brushing her hair. 

'I've been thinking,' Akamatsu mused soon after, taking a sip of her tea, 'about some things,' she finished vaguely. 

'Do you have any ideas?' Shirogane asked, perking up. 'About the mastermind or the killing game?' 

'Maybe so. I first had this thought when I realised I had pyjamas in my room, and now I was reminded of it when I saw the swimsuits,' she continued cautiously. 'I didn't bring either of them with me here. All I had on my person was the backpack with some tissues and stuff inside. And yet, both the pyjamas and the swimsuit are my style and fit me perfectly. What do you make of it? Since I know you're always so full of theories I wouldn't even think of…'

'Oh! Let's see.' Shirogane hummed in concentration. She seemed pleasantly surprised to hear that her outlandish theories were appreciated for once. 'Perhaps you did bring them here with you, but the mastermind took them away? After all, you probably brought your phone here, and yet you don't have it. If not that, maybe the mastermind did research on all of us and guessed what type of sleepwear and swimwear we prefer?'

'The latter option is so creepy…' Akamatsu complained, scrunching up her nose in disgust. 'Then again, the mastermind does seem to know an awful lot about us…' 

'It's unsettling, isn't it?' Shirogane remarked, shuddering. She took a sip of coffee to calm down. 'It's like we're being watched constantly… Gross!' 

Akamatsu blinked. She wasn't sure if that was the word she'd use to describe the situation, but she could see how it could fit… It was a gross feeling to be watched without permission. 'At least the mastermind had enough decency not to set up a camera in the changing rooms, as far as I could tell,' she pointed out optimistically. 

'Oh, is that so?' Shirogane deflated noticeably. Somehow, she seemed both relieved and disappointed. 'At least we will have some privacy there, then.'

'I might be wrong on that, but I hope I'm not. And, I gotta say, your theories do hold up this time. I could see either of them being true…I wonder what else the mastermind had stolen from us…' she mused quietly. 

'I-I guess we might never know… Unless we manage to escape, maybe,' she added hesitantly. 

'That's the plan,' Akamatsu said, chuckling. She quickly prepared a cheese sandwich for a late snack for herself and grabbed it off the counter, and grabbed an energy drink from the fridge. 'I think I'm going to go to my room now. It was fun talking,' she said, smiling at Shirogane. 

'Ah, of course. Goodnight, Akamatsu-san. I'll stay here until the nighttime hits, maybe…'

Akamatsu headed out of the cafeteria and into her room. She placed the backpack on the floor and set the energy drink, along with the sandwich, on her desk. Then, she took out the notebook she recalled seeing inside the desk and set it down in front of her as well. 

Tssss. The energy drink can opened loudly. She took a quick sip to avoid spilling and set it back down. 

By the time the nighttime announcement played above her head, Akamatsu was too invested in what she was writing to notice. 

She didn't care much about sleep anyway. 

***

At that same time  
Ouma Kokichi crossed Hoshi Ryouma out of his list of suspects  
'For now',  
Running his fingers through his damp hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MULTIPLE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS PLEASE READ:  
> 1\. https://www.strawpoll.me/18214261 <\- FTE vote already. Here is why: three characters are eligible for the Final FTE which will be longer, more intense, and cement them as Akamatsu's best friends. The eligible characters are Ouma, Hoshi and Iruma, since they each have 3 FTEs. Someone asked me what would happen if we completed someone's FTEs, and I decided that's the solution. Thing is, the FTEs will probably be long, so I'd like to knock one out in the next update instead of potentially having three in a row.  
> This will PROBABLY be the last poll. I could just write all the FTEs, but I decided that letting you guys decide the order for the last time would be cool. I'm feeling charitable, so since this is the last chapter, I'll give you all 6 FTEs - 3 one day and 3 the next. Some characters might not be available on day two so choose wisely. You can vote up to three times. 
> 
> 2\. I'm going on vacation for a week at the beginning of July! I will make sure that it won't disrupt the updating schedule, hopefully. I will have wi-fi where I'm going so that won't be an issue (theoretically). If you guys would prefer for me to take a break, tell me, but I'd rather not miss any upload days and it's no skin off my back.
> 
> 3\. Map: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/356359922356846592/591998737916624907/unknown.png


	44. Chapter 5: Daily Life 3

Akamatsu Kaede woke up with a sharp pain in her neck and sore feet. Her hand instinctively started massaging the nape of her neck to ease the aching just a bit.

She was quite disoriented by the fact she wasn't in bed and did, in fact, fall asleep on her desk. Rubbing her eyes, and then her temples, she tried to get out of the daze. Why did she never make it to bed? Or, she thought with sudden fear, did she sleepwalk there, somehow?

The memories of the night before imeddiately started to resurface in her mind's eye when she looked down at the notes on the desk, the very same notes that she used as a pillow throughout the night.

Right, it all made sense now. She had stayed up late writing down her thoughts until she crashed around 2 in the morning and fell into deep sleep, unable to even make the effort to get up from her seat and throw herself onto the comfortable bed righr behind her. Just like that, she lost consciousness in the spot easily identifiable by the unfinished sentence, ended with a line she must have drawn accidentally when her pencil slipped out of her limp hand. 

In fact, she only managed to stay awake for that long because of the energy drink, she realised as she accidentally knocked the empty can onto the floor. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have gotten nearly as many words out in one sitting.

She could hardly remember what the notes were. The state that she had found herself in the evening before was comparable to a trance – she just let her hand write down everything that she was thinking of in hopes of making it easier to organise the mess that were her observations and suspicions. It was no wonder that the instant she blacked out, everything disappeared from her head. Perhaps that was the ultimate proof that preparing the notes was the right idea – this way everything was physically there and not just locked away in her exhausted brain, swollen with countless questions, observations and fears to begin with.

And Ouma couldn't accuse her of not doing anything ever again, which was satisfying as well. 

Akamatsu decided to first wash her face and then read what she actually wrote down with a fresh eye. She wasn't hungry enough to need to rush to the cafeteria – her stomach was bothering her, presumably because of the energy drink, so she didn't want to upset it further yet, deciding to stop at gargling some water and spitting it back out into the sink.

It did feel marginally better, she had to admit. The vague nausea was gone.

She grabbed the notes and fell back onto the bed. She was tired of sitting, and her spine still hurt from a whole night of sitting and resting against a hard, unpleasant surface. In contrast, the soft bedsheets and the warm covet felt incredibly comfortable.

But, the point wasn't to just get cozy to the point of falling back asleep. It was to make something out of the chaos that had been happening in her head.

She took a deep breath, placed a pillow behind her head, and started studying her own notes with a determined expression, trying to make sense of them.

_The clothes: pyjamas and swimsuit. Pyjamas are personalised, and so are swimsuits. Therefore:_  
1\. Did we bring them with us and just don't remember?  
2\. Did the mastermind get them for us? If so, a) why? b) how did they know what to get for us?  
If we brought them and don't remember, what happened there? Were we tricked into thinking we were going somewhere else, but we ended up here?  
If so, how did we end up tricked into that? There must have been a plan.  
If the mastermind got them for us, does that mean the mastermind knew us, or did they just get lucky with the choices? (if they knew us, how did they know us?)  
Consequently, why did they even bother to give us nice things if we were going to be in a killing game anyway? That sounds like a waste of money. 

_Conclusion: we probably bought the swimsuits and pyjamas ourselves and the mastermind locked them away from us until now. Presumably we were tricked into thinking we were going on vacation, but I don't know how..._

_Next: the school itself. Is it..._  
1\. A real school that used to be functional before the killing game happened. In which case,  
a) it was abandoned a long time ago and the mastermind repurposed it for the sake of the killing game.  
b) it was never abandoned, the mastermind took over by force.  
2\. A fake school, made entirely for the sake of the killing game.  
→ where did the mastermind get the funds for this?  
→ there's no way one person could do this on their own. Who helped them?  
→ could it be some sort of a powerful organisation?  
→ what is the end goal of conducting the killing game?  
→ what's the location? Does anybody in the outside world know they're here? 

_Conclusion: None yet... Maybe I could ask Monokuma some questions without raising suspicion?_

_Speaking of Monokuma. What is he? According to Kiibo-kun he's either..._  
1\. a type of AI that works on its own, much like him, with some level of knowledge and intelligence, able to respond in mostly natural ways.  
2\. or controlled by someone, probably the mastermind, who talks to us through him.  
3\. Is it possible that he's an AI that can be controlled as well? It might be hard to tell the difference.  
→ If he's controlled, is it by the mastermind or someone else? Are there more people involved?  
→ If he's exclusively controlled by someone all the time, it can't be any of us, because Monokuma speaks to us when we're all in the same room and we would have noticed if someone was talking through him. Right?  
→ There are multiple Monokumas that 'help' during the executions. Where do they come from?  
→ Monokuma physically had to go and make the nighttime announcement when I talked to him. That means the messages aren't automated, and instead it is Monokuma speaking. Where from? 

_Conclusion: It won't hurt to observe Monokuma more closely._

_Finally, the mastermind... There are two options for who they might be:_  
1\. One of us. One of the seven people who have survived thus far.  
2\. Someone other than us who controls the killing game from a hideout somewhere...  
→ If it's someone else, who? Who could hold such a grudge against us?  
→ What, exactly, is the 'programme'? The name sounds vaguely familiar, but...  
→ With a name this serious, it does sound like the government might be involved (?)  
→ Whoever the mastermind is, they know a lot about us... How did they obtain this information? 

_Conclusion: Assuming the government or some powerful organisation is involved seems like the only logical conclusion. Whoever started the 'programme' seems wealthy and good at obtaining information. But, on the other hand, that doesn't necessarily disqualify any of us –_

Bzzzzzt!

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Exactly when Akamatsu reached the part of her notes where she must have passed out the night before, her doorbell started ringing, startling her. It was one continuous sound so someone must have kept their finger on the button, much like she did not that long ago when she was desperately trying to wake up Momota, who was not only not there but also dead. She could also feel the vibrations from someone punching her door, possibly kicking it.

She set the notes down under her pillow for safety's sake and rushed to open the door, made difficult by her nervously shaking hands.

'Thank goodness!' a relieved voice cried out dramatically once she opened the door. A pair of toned arms wrapped around her protectively, and she instinctively returned the embrace with a confused expression. Both the voice and the arms belonged to Chabashira Tenko, who must have been the one knocking on the door.

'I told you she would be fine,' Hoshi remarked from the side, playing with his candy cigarette. Despite his calm voice, he seemed unnaturally pale, revealing that he was just as worried as her.

'H-hey!' Shirogane, who was standing beside Tenko, protested weakly. She must have been the one ringing the doorbell. 'We had every right to be worried after what happened last time, r-right? If you weren't worried yourself, you wouldn't have come!' she retorted, pushing her glasses up with her finger dramatically.

Hoshi didn't answer for a moment, staring off at the wall. 'Maybe you're right,' he finally admitted, cracking a smile. 'We all get worried so easily in this place. You can't blame me.'

'What matters,' Tenko said, pulling away from the embrace, to Akamatsu's mild disappointment, 'is that Kaede-san is safe. Tenko doesn't regret checking, even though we probably scared her quite a bit,' she added with an apologetic smile.

Akamatsu smiled back. 'Yeah, you freaked me out at first. What happened, though? Is something wrong, or is it just really that I didn't show up for breakfast?' She blinked, realising that she had never checked the time. 'Is it that late…?'

'It's 10am,' Hoshi informed, nodding. 'Chabashira said that you never miss breakfast, especially by that hour, so she said that we have to check on you. Shirogane panicked and agreed with her, and I just tagged along.'

'Oh, jeez.' Akamatsu scratched her head sheepishly, looking at their relieved faces. 'Sorry that I didn't show up. I had a bit of a rough night, and then I lost track of time. I was thinking about things…'

'Oh, that happens to me all the time,' Shirogane reassured, delighted by the newfound solidarity. 'Don't worry about it! What were you thinking about, though?' she asked, tilting her head.

Akamatsu gulped. She didn't want to reveal her cards so easily, especially when she considered where her thoughts led her. One of you might…

'I had an idea for a new song in my sleep and I was trying to remember what it was,' she lied smoothly. 'And now it escaped me again, but that's okay! I'll remember it again!' she assured, pumping her fists.

'Sorry…' Tenko muttered once again. 'Tenko is sure you will remember soon! She'd love to hear your song,' she added softly.

'Of course you will,' Hoshi added, looking up at her with a smirk, 'but now you should eat something. Don't get so caught up in music that you forget about basic needs,' he added with a wink.

Exactly at that moment, Akamatsu's stomach released a low growl. She crossed her arms over it, embarrassed.

'Sorry. You're right. I should be careful about that,' she said, closing the door to her bedroom, after having grabbed her backpack and checked that her student ID and her coins were still inside.

Now that she thought about it, the existence of the casino was also mildly puzzling. As far as she was aware, gambling was still illegal in Japan, and yet here it was, a game room in this school. She realised, of course, that the school was locked up entirely, the casino was in the basement, and the coins would be useless outside, but it still was something worth thinking about, she reckoned.

Right now, she just wanted to have a wall between her notes and the rest of the world. Just for her own comfort, even if it didn't make that much sense.

She headed down the hall towards the cafeteria, about to part ways with the others who had already had breakfast, but, apparently, she wasn't allowed to simply enter the cafeteria with no hassle.

'Oi, Bakamatsu!' Iruma, having just emerged from inside the cafeteria, called out to her with a proud expression. 'I've been looking for y'all every-fuckin'-where!' she then exclaimed, seeing everyone else as well. 'I thought y'all would be having breakfast but ya fucked off before I got here,' she explained with a hint of hurt feelings.

'We were in the dorms,' Hoshi pointed out calmly. 'You could have just checked there.' There was no malice in his voice, Akamatsu noted. He seemed amused, if anything, and she couldn't help but crack a small smile as well.

'Nah, while I was there, I decided I might as well eat somethin'. I ain't gonna starve for you losers just 'cuz you can't stay in one place for five goddamn seconds. Anyway!' she raised her voice, pointing her finger at them, aiming specifically at Akamatsu's chest. 'I, Iruma Miu, shared a discovery with y'all yesterday! Remember? The fuckin' sweet-ass pool? Somethin' you would have never noticed on yer own!' she glanced at Tenko and a subconscious blush spread on her cheeks. 'But I forgot to tell you 'bout my other discovery, which is just as miraculous! And you would have heard it a long-ass time ago if you hadn't fuckin' ditched me!' she boasted with a proud grin. She was obviously trying to make up for having forgotten to tell them earlier, hoping nobody would call her out.

'Huh?' Akamatsu's eyes shot wide open. 'What is it?' Unlike the pool, it seemed like that new discovery was actually important, if Iruma's hesitation was anything to go by. It was almost irritating, how she was trying to build suspense… Akamatsu decided to stay patient with her, though,if only for the sake of the information.

'The computers work!' Iruma informed, puffing out her chest. 'The ones on the fourth floor near where motherfuckin' starboy bit the dust. The ones you shits kept bothering me about.'

'You fixed them?!' Shirogane exclaimed in awe. 'That's amazing!'

'...They work now,' Iruma said vaguely, avoiding eye contact.

'So…you didn't fix them…' Shirogane muttered, disappointed. 'At…at least they work…right?'

Iruma cleared her throat. 'Sorta. You can't do much on 'em but they turn on properly. I dunno what happened but they probably didn't respond to you plebs and were waiting for the golden girl genius to take care of 'em properly!' she was salivating a bit.

'What do you mean, can't do much on them?' Hoshi asked.

'If you were expecting to access some sorta super secret database or some shit, you'll be disappointed, is all,' Iruma explained, resting her hands on her hips. 'That's what I was hopin' to find but, nope. Can't even access the Internet, obviously. All that's on the ones I looked at are some basic-ass programs, so if ya wanna draw some digital dick, ya can. 'S about it, though,' she scoffed. 

'That's kind of disappointing…' Akamatsu sighed.

Iruma tensed up. 'Th-that' s not my fuckin' fault, alright? I'm just tellin' ya what I found!' she blurted out defensively.

'We're grateful that you let us know, Iruma-san!' Tenko said sincerely, stepping forward.

'Yeah, don't sweat it. We're not blaming you,' Hoshi added, nodding his head.

Iruma's face flushed as she made a strange noise, somewhere between a squeak and a moan. Her lip was quivering with embarrassment.

'However, I wonder,' Shirogane mused, tapping her chin, 'why we got access to them now? Is it a part of the secret reward for solving another murder case? Or…were they not supposed to break down earlier? I have a bad feeling about this…'

'Who gives a fuck?' Iruma retorted curtly. 'Don't think about it too hard, Shit-o-gane. Point is, they work now. Go play solitaire for all I fuckin' care. I need to get going,' she said quickly, taking off towards the warehouse.

Akamatsu' s stomach growled again. She excused herself and went to the cafeteria, while the others all went their own separate ways.

She made a mental note to check out the computers sometime later as she scoured the fridge for something to eat that wouldn't require much effort to prepare. Eventually, she decided to just prepare buttered toast, along with her favourite tea.

It felt odd to eat breakfast all on her own. She was used to hearing everyone discuss all sorts of things around her. She could almost hear their voices and see their faces when she looked around the table.

So many of them were now gone for good. Momota, who would always lead the conversations with his loud, commanding tone. Toujou, who never sat down to eat with them, instead remaining on her feet, constantly bringing over more delicious meals. Angie, whose presence made people smile, even when she said things they didn't quite understand…

So many of her friends were never going to eat breakfast with her again. She had failed to protect them from Monokuma’s mind games.

After all these days and all the trials, she still felt as though the person she failed the most, other than possibly Angie, was Amami. Not just because she voted him guilty and therefore sentenced him to death, not just because she didn't sense that something bad was going to happen…

…but also because she couldn't honour his last will, no matter how much she wanted to.

As far as she could tell, the wishes of all the other deceased were honoured. Angie would love the memorial. Toujou would be relieved knowing that they have been taking care of breakfast and of the laundry to the best of their ability. Harukawa wanted to be remembered fairly and not in a sanitized way. Shinguuji wanted his memory to live on - perhaps she could still write a song to honour him now that she didn't feel viscerally disgusted by his betrayal. Saihara would have wanted her to solve the murders no matter what.

She felt like she was doing her best to honour those wishes, and she vowed not to forget the sacrifices of Gonta and Yumeno, as well as the admirable trust Momota had for Harukawa.

But, Amami told her directly what he wanted her to do. Her, and nobody else. He specifically whispered it right into her ear so only she could hold onto that last piece of advice, that final request.

And yet, she couldn't fulfill it, because the door of his bedroom was going to remain firmly locked forever, not allowing her to find whatever it was that he left for her there to find.

She often wondered what it might have been. What did he see? What did he know? And why was she the only person he confided in? Obviously, they were quite close for those few days they knew each other for, but he was close to a number of other people…

All that meant was that he didn't want the mastermind to hear, and he knew for sure that she was 'safe', which was a reassuring thought.

A chill ran down her spine when she remembered that the reason why Gonta - gentle, sheepish, reliable Gonta - attempted to kill Amami to begin with, was that someone told him that he's a threat.

They had held three class trials since then. Was the person still alive? What was their goal? What exactly did they tell Gonta?

She shook her head and finished her tea. If there was a way to find out, she was going to, just like she still hoped to find out who knocked out Saihara that night when he sneaked out of his room to investigate and almost paid for it with his life right then and there. She couldn't tell if it mattered anymore, since he died not long after anyway, but it seemed strange and important.

Akamatsu got up from her seat and quickly washed the dishes.

The only way to find out the answers to her questions was to talk to those who were still alive. And, following Momota's example, she was going to approach them with trust and kindness.

…but not with the naivete that would get her killed, of course.

***

Akamatsu grabbed some gifts from the gatchapon, using the coins she had won down in the casino. She could understand how someone could get addicted to those game machines, but she couldn't imagine herself succumbing to that habit when she didn't have much use for the money either way.

With a fresh supply of souvenirs in her backpack, she headed down to the basement, where she hoped to find a certain someone…

'Akamatsu-chan!' a cheerful voice greeted her when she opened the door of the generator room.

She didn't know what told her that she was going to find him there. If just felt like last time she talked to Ouma Kokichi, something in his body language communicated to her that he was not going to let the place go so easily. Or, perhaps, that he would be waiting for her to talk to him.

'I changed my mind,' he informed casus lly, balancing on his feet.

Akamatsu was dumbfounded. 'Changed your mind about what?' she asked in confusion.

Ouma pursed his lips. 'I don't want you to join my organisation anymore, Akamatsu-chan. You're too lame in the end! Too bad, so sad!'

Akamatsu looked at him carefully. Everytime she had approached him previously, he would insist that she needed to take tests to see if she was worthy of being considered for his organisation, whether she was interested or not didn't matter. She had always suspected that the whole recruitment thing was a lie he hid behind for some reason, but she could never quite put her finger on what he really wanted.

In any case, at face value, it seemed that she failed to meet his standards for a partner in crime. What would it matter, though? She was never interested to begin with, was she? Well, then.

Akamatsu smiled and started talking in an overly apologetic and emotional voice. 'Oh no,' she said with a frown. 'Jeez, really? I tried so hard! I really thought my answers would be good enough. Can't you reconsider?' she asked, trying not to laugh.

Ouma tapped his chin with a low hum. 'Hmm...nope, sorry!' he said, grinning widely. 'All decisions are final!'

'What if I told you that I have something for you?' Akamatsu offered, slowly reaching into her backpack.

Ouma perked up noticeably. 'Bribery, Akamatsu-chan?' he teased, watching her carefully. 'Tsk, tsk. You're really desperate, aren't you? This better be something super cool.'

Akamatsu resisted the urge to roll her eyes and showed him what she had brought from the gatchapon, watching his eyes widen in awe. Even the king of liars couldn't hide his excitement forever.

The gift, she figured, would be fitting enough - a commemorative medal set that Ouma could use however he pleased.

'Oooooh,' he hummed in approval. 'I gotta say you're making a strong case here, Akamatsu-chan,' he mused, taking the case out of her hands, staring down at it with satisfaction.

'Ouma-kun, I don't mean to be impertinent,' she prompted innocently, 'but I have a small request.'

'You're not going to get in that easily,' Ouma informed, not even looking at her. Against all odds, she was starting to have fun with her role. 'But, go on,' he added benevolently, hiding the medal set under his cloak.

'If I may be so bold,' Akamatsu continued, 'I noticed that you had a ton of tests prepared for me whenever we talked. But, while they let you learn about me, I never got to learn all that much about you.'

'Uh-huh,' Ouma hummed in agreement, tilting his head.

'I was wondering if we could play one last game to decide my fate, but this time, it will let me learn more about you. Or, you know. I could just ask you questions and you could answer them,' she added with a shrug.

Ouma looked up at her and exhaled sharply. 'Final game, huh? Akamatsu-chan, you're really stubborn. But, okay! A game it is! But it's not going to be easy. Have you heard of two truths and a lie?'

'Oh, of course!' Akamatsu nodded eagerly. Of course the game had to include lies. She shouldn't have expected anything less.

'Well, we're going to play the hard mode of that!' he informed excitedly.

'Hard…mode?' Akamatsu blinked in confusion.

'No take-backsies, Akamatsu-chan! The rules are super easy. I'll say three things, and any of them can be a lie! It might be one lie, or two lies, or three lies! Or zero,' he added for clarity. 'You have to guess if any of them are true!'

'That sounds kind of hard…will you at least tell me if I was right?' Akamatsu asked cautiously.

'Hmmm…nope, unless you want to guess if that was the truth or a lie, too!'

'Of course…' Akamatsu muttered dejectedly. She then cleared her throat and puffed out her chest. 'I accept the challenge!' she declared, trying once again not to laugh.

Ouma raised his eyebrows and scrunched up his freckled nose. 'O-kay! Round one!'

'A-already?' Akamatsu whispered, ready to focus on his words.

'Let's see. I am the leader of an organisation. It has over ten thousand members. It's super powerful,' he recited with an unchanging subtle smile, looking right into her eyes.'

Akamatsu didn't hesitate. 'The first one…might be true. The others are lies,' she said confidently. Truthfully, there was no logic behind her answers. It was just a feeling.

Ouma's expression remained unchanged, but he tilted his head slightly. 'Round two,' he continued, unaffected. 'Hmmm. I killed my parents. I lived in an orphanage most of my life until I ran away to start my organisation. The orphanage I grew up in was the same one that Harukawa-chan lived in.'

Akamatsu didn't hesitate that time, either. 'Lie. Truth. Truth.'

'I changed my mind,' Ouma said with a pout. 'This is a boring game. I like coming up with lies, but this is no fun.'

'Is it because I guessed right every time?' Akamatsu asked with a cheeky smile.

Ouma didn't answer. He simply looked at her with an expression she couldn't decipher.

'All of these were clumsy lies, Ouma-kun,' Akamatsu said, looking him in the eyes. 'Just like when you lied earlier about not knowing Harukawa-san. You wanted me to figure it out and ask, but you couldn't tell me directly. Am I right?' She smiled warmly at him. 'There's a reason why you don't want to remember Harukawa-san knowing you. Is it, maybe, because she mentioned knowing you under a different name?'

Ouma's eyes widened ever so slightly. Was it just her impression, or did he seem impressed? He wouldn't have agreed to the game if he expected her to read through him so easily, perhaps…or maybe that is what he was hoping for.

Suddenly, he grabbed her by the wrist. 'Akamatsu-chan, come with me,' he said in a low voice. She nodded and followed him obediently. In fact, she was quite grateful for the permission to leave that room.

He led her into his dorm without a word, keeping that same blank expression all the way there.

His room was quite messy. She wasn't surprised to see that he had many notes lying around much like her own back in her dorm. Ouma set the medal set down on the desk, along with countless other things.

He gestured towards his bed, asking her to sit there. When she hesitated, he sat there himself, cross-legged, and invited her to sit next to him, pouting impatiently. She tore her eyes away from his desk and sat down carefully.

'Akamatsu-chan, what do you think the point of lies is?' he asked, looking at her curiously.

Akamatsu knit her eyebrows and hummed. 'To conceal something,' she said finally. 'Because you don't want the other person to know about it.'

Ouma started playing with his hair. 'That's not what you said earlier. You said that you assumed that I lied because I didn't want to tell you things directly, but keep you guessing. That might be true. Or it might be a lie! Maybe, dearest Akamatsu-chan, I was just messing with you!' he suggested, looking into her eyes. 'The truth can be kind of boring, you know. Or it can do more harm than good.'

'So you tell me, but I don't think you were just messing with me. Not anymore,' she said softly. 'I think you want me to notice things myself instead of telling me. I don't always know what I'm supposed to be seeing, though. Even now, you're not answering my question from before, about Harukawa-san.'

'Why should I? You answered it yourself,' he pointed out. 'Nishishi, that was a lie, of course. You know that.'

'So it really is about that? The fact Harukawa-san knew you before…before the organisation. Under a different name,' Akamatsu mused, looking into his smiling face.

'Akamatsu-chan, what do you think that meant? Ouma Kokichi wasn't always my name, is that it?'

'I should have known that Ouma Kokichi is a fake name of sorts,' Akamatsu said with a smirk. Nobody would name their child Horse King Small Luck, would they?

But Ouma's eyes widened in surprise at her words. 'Wow, Akamatsu-chan, you wound me! It's totally my real name and always has been!' he said in an exaggerated offended voice.

'I'm sure,' Akamatsu said, nodding.

Ouma hesitated. 'You know, Akamatsu-chan, I was going to tell you something, but I'm not gonna if you can't even believe me on something like that!' he said with a pout, folding his arms over his chest.

Akamatsu was going to respond in kind with a joke, but something told her that under that layer of exaggeration, he might have sincerely wanted to share something with her. After all…why else would he invite her over?

'Ouma-kun,' she said carefully, resting her hand on his shoulder, 'jokes aside, you can tell me anything. We're friends, you know?' it was almost strange how naturally that came out of her mouth. There was no hesitation in calling her that.

Ouma shuddered. 'Pffff, what?' he let out a forced laugh into her face. 'That's too good, Akamatsu-chan. It's also a lie.'

'I mean it,' she said plainly, paying no mind to his laughter. 'And I'd like to think you see me as your friend, too. We've been through a lot together, you know? It counts for something!'

Ouma stopped laughing. He cleared his throat and continued playing with his hair, looking her in the eyes. 'Akamatsu-chan, you're expecting a lot from me. Asking me, a liar, to be honest with you, when I have no reason to be? Tsk.'

'You want to be, don't you? You want to be honest with me. But it's a big leap of faith, so you keep hesitating.' Akamatsu leaned towards him with a warm smile. 'But I think it's worth making. I'll tell you anything about myself, too, if you want. Deal?'

'As if I care to know anything about you,' Ouma scoffed.

'That was a lie,' Akamatsu sang, giggling into her hand. Ouma's crooked smile seemed softer as he watched her steal his line.

He leaned towards her ear, as was customary between them, apparently. She tensed up in anticipation.

'Ouma Kokichi isn't the name I was born with, and it's not the one Harukawa-chan could recall from the old days. But, it's my real name. It's the name I chose when I ran away from the orphanage. Do you know why?' his voice was shaking ever so slightly.

Akamatsu gulped. This felt awfully familiar. She hah had a similar conversation not long ago, right? With Tenko…Tenko who also chose her own name…

'I think I know,' she assured him. 'In which case, I shouldn't have said what I did earlier. Sorry,' she whispered apologetically.

'Idiot,' Ouma said affectionately. 'It sounds like a fake name, doesn't it? But that makes it all the more fitting!'

Akamatsu smiled. That was one way to look at it.

Suddenly, she felt his arms wrapping around her in an insecure attempt at a hug. She instinctively hugged him back, embracing his scrawny body.

'I could kill you like this, you know? Nishishi,' Ouma mused innocently.

'Idiot,' Akamatsu responded, letting go of him. 'You can't keep saying things like that. It stops working after a while, you know. I know you're not going to kill me.'

'Nope. That was a lie,' Ouma agreed, with a wide toothy grin, 'but that doesn't mean I didn't steal from you instead!'

Akamatsu's eyes widened as she tried to pat at her backpack to check if anything was missing. She didn't need to do that, though, as Ouma held up her student ID in his hand. 

She leaped forward but he was faster, sliding off the bed. She managed to grab his wrist, but he was holding the ID in his other hand, so that didn't help her as much. While she was trying to grab his other wrist, he gently kicked her in the knee, using her shock from the pain as a distraction. 

When he tried to get off the bed again, she pounced on hum, pinning him to the floor. She wrestled the ID out of his hand and held it up triumphantly. To be sure, she checked if it was truly hers - and so it was.

She helped Ouma up and they both sat back on the bed.

'Hey, Akamatsu-chan, are you really this curious about past stuff?' he asked suddenly, examining his fingernails.

'Hm? I guess. I know you won't tell me, though,' she teased.

'Nope,' Ouma confirmed. 'But I can give you this,' he added, handing her an envelope.

'Huh? The motive? But didn't you get Hoshi-kun's?' she asked, looking down at it curiously.

'I did. But I talked him into giving it back,' Ouma informed with a self-satisfied smile.

'Ouma-kun, I know that's not true. Hoshi-kun told me that he's going to talk to you about it.'

'Whoopsie!' Ouma chuckled into his hand. 'Yup, that was a lie. But we did trade. And now that I've read it, you can have it. Under one condition,' he added.

'What is it?' Akamatsu inquired suspiciously.

'Don't open it unless something happens to me. Simples!'

'...something happens to you? Ouma-kun, don't you dare put yourself in any danger!' she protested immediately, grabbing his hand.

'Y'know, Akamatsu-chan, I thought that you'd trust me more. I'm wounded again,' he whined, pouting and scrunching up his nose.

Akamatsu let go of his hand and took a deep breath. 'Fine. I'll honour that request,' she promised, rolling her eyes.

'Cool! You can get one now. I have something I need to do,' he said nonchalantly.

'One more thing before I go,' Akamatsu insisted, getting up from the bed and walking towards the door.

'What is it this time?' Ouma asked with a bored expression.

'I'm sorry for slapping you. Back when you almost died. That was reckless of me,' she blurted out.

Ouma's eyebrows rode up his forehead. 'Are you for serious? Iiiiiidiot. Get out of my sight,' he said with a somewhat warm smile.

Akamatsu smiled back and finally left his room.

There was still plenty of time to talk to other people. In a way, she was glad that Ouma was the person she ran into first. It really felt like he opened up to her, at least a bit, and didn't even deny being her friend.

She walked down the hall with a big smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple things:  
> This is the last chapter before my trip!  
> It's also the last chapter I'll post in June, so we're ending pride month the right way: with another LGBT rep, being trans Ouma.  
> As I warned, the final FTE was super duper long and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Iruma almost tied with Ouma so she's going to be next, and Hoshi afterwards! I love all three of them and I'm glad you guys do too!  
> I'll see you all on Wednesday, hopefully! Pray for my safe travel, if you will, ok?


	45. Chapter 5: Daily Life 4

After her conversation with Ouma, Akamatsu felt energized as she walked down the hall.

'Bakamatsu, got a minute?'

Akamatsu's head turned towards the voice that was calling out to her from the warehouse. Iruma. Coincidentally, she was just about to start looking for her.

'Yeah, what's up-' Akamatsu didn't get to finish her sentence before Iruma grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her inside the warehouse. It looked…different, somehow. The metal curtain in the corner was probably to blame.

'Whoa, what is that?' Akamatsu asked, pointing at it in awe. Iruma grabbed her wrist and held her hand down, shaking her head.

'None of yer business. I'm making somethin' and I don't want any of you schmucks looking at it, so it's locked behind that curtain until I finish it,' she explained impatiently.

'...Could I take a look? Just a peek?' Akamatsu asked hopefully. It seemed more serious than Iruma's other inventions. Not having it shoved in her face made her more curious about it.

'Nah. Focus, Bakamatsu, I need your fuckin' help, and I can't believe I'm saying that.'

'Help?' Akamatsu perked up. 'What can I help you with?' she asked cautiously. She hoped it didn't involve testing one of Iruma's crude toys.

The inventor flushed, struggling to get the words out. She inhaled sharply and looked down at her feet.

'The others. They're being fuckin' weird towards me lately. Do ya think they're up to somethin'?' she blurted out finally.

Akamatsu blinked. 'Weird how?' she inquired. Personally, she hadn't noticed anything suspicious about how the others talked to Iruma, but perhaps there was something she missed or didn't think much of.

'Y-you saw… At the pool, the aikidiot…laughed at me… And earlier today both she and the fuckin' chibi were suckin' up to me… Did they want somethin' or what?' she spat out nervously.

Akamatsu tried not to snort laughing. 'They were praising you. Trying to be nice because of your discovery. There's nothing suspicious about that.'

'Well they'd better be fuckin' grateful… I do so much for you plebs. But they were never like that before.'

'They appreciate you, because we're all friends. Remember? We talked about that last time, didn't we? About how you don't need to try super hard to make people like you?' Akamatsu tilted her head with a warm smile. 'I appreciate you too, you know? I even got you something,' she added, searching in her backpack. Luckily for her, Ouma didn't try to steal any of the gifts in his attempt to prank her.

She got a pair of bondage boots out and held them out towards Iruma, nodding her head to encourage her to take them

At first Iruma flinched, covering her face with her arm. But once she realised that Akamatsu wasn't trying to hurt her, she took a look at what she was holding.

'Holy shit,' she whispered in awe, and then looked up at Akamatsu, raising her voice, 'Bakamatsu, you really are fuckin' good at finding neat shit like this!'

'I hoped you'd like them!' Akamatsu nodded, watching Iruma reluctantly grab the shoes and examine them for potential threats. Once she made sure they were safe, she looked into Akamatsu’s eyes.

'Thanks, Bakamatsu! You appeased the great Iruma Miu once again! You can be proud of yourself, that ain't an easy feat!'

It was almost surreal to watch Iruma switch between distrust, nervousness, gratitude and arrogance. As if she could never make up her mind as to what emotion to express, which mask to put on.

'Appeased the great Iruma Miu, huh? So you don't think I'm trying to bribe you or something?' Akamatsu teased, chuckling lightly.

Iruma cowered as if she had been slapped. 'Are ya? Are ya trying to do that?'

'Iruma-san, that was a joke. I would never do anything to you. Ever, okay?' Akamatsu whispered sincerely, resting her hands on Iruma's shoulders and looking her in the eyes with a gentle smile. 'Are you really that worried about it? Ah, actually…you seem stressed in general. Wanna talk about it?'

Iruma hesitated. Her muscles relaxed as she looked at Akamatsu with a suspicious expression. Finally her features softened a bit as well.

'Talk about it? That's why I fuckin' called you over. Of course I wanna.'

'Then why aren't you?' Akamatsu asked sharply. 'You never say anything straight. You just keep dancing around it. Even when it's important information. Iruma-san, do you not trust any of us?'

Iruma scoffed. She narrowed her eyes at Akamatsu, clicking her tongue. 'You're asking that' cuz you wanna give me a lecture about how we're all friends or some hippie bullshit like that. It ain't gonna work, so you can give up already.'

'That's not it,' Akamatsu protested, gritting her teeth. 'You're impossible… I don't think it would be fair to just tell you we're all friends and you don't have to be afraid of anyone. I don't think it would be helpful. But, you know what? I think it's infinitely better than reading malicious intent into everything, like you do. And I wish you could trust me when I say I want to understand and help you. To be a real friend,' she said sincerely, clenching her fists.

Iruma looked at her, speechless, as blush spread over her cheeks once again. She scratched the back of her head, pondering the proposition.

'You want an exclusive look into the golden brain of Iruma Miu?' she asked finally, with endearing disbelief and excitement in her voice. Akamatsu felt her heart melt at that display of genuine vulnerability from the otherwise closed off Iruma, even though she seemed to be deliberately ignoring the part about friendship.

'I guess you could put it this way,' she said diplomatically.

'For real? You will listen? Without telling me I'm fuckin' gross or what?' Iruma seemed unable to process that.

Akamatsu felt some sort of shame. The question stung in a very particular way - as a reminder that she wasn't too kind to Iruma's work before. Did it genuinely leave a mark on her psyche? It seemed like she wanted attention, even of the negative sort, above all else, but…

'I'll do my best,' she declared in all honesty.

'I knew one day you'd admit that you're a voyeuristic nosy bitch,' Iruma said, overjoyed, starting to cackle. 'Let's fuckin' go, you're getting a private show!'

Akamatsu didn't get to ask what that meant before Iruma grabbed her wrist and started dragging her along towards the dorms.

Once Iruma let her inside, Akamatsu gasped quietly. The room was a mess, filled with all sorts of sketches and blueprints and small inventions here and there. She recognised the shibari machine, but there were a few others as well, machines that she wouldn't dare ask about.

'Sit,' Iruma ordered, and Akamatsu sat down on the bed obediently. Iruma wasn't looking at her, instead playing with one of the countless remotes she had on her desk.

Akamatsu didn't dare interrupt, even though she felt that Iruma's behaviour was rather rude, and she would have called it out in any other case.

'You know, Bakamatsu,' she started speaking suddenly, still looking down at the remote, 'I wasn't always the beautiful genius I am today. I mean, I was always fuckin' gorgeous, but the brains had to catch up to my looks later.'

Akamatsu listened in silence, knitting her eyebrows.

'A while back,' Iruma continued, 'I got put in a coma.'

'Huh?!' Akamatsu exclaimed subconsciously.

'Yeah. Got into an accident. Put me in a coma for fuckin' ever. And I came out of it with a golden brain full of genius ideas. I dunno what happened up here,' she said, poking at her temple, 'but apparently the coma made me the superhuman you see today.'

'I don't think that's how it works,' Akamatsu protested politely.

'I thought you weren't goin' to question me,' Iruma scolded, glaring at Akamatsu from the corner of her eye. 'I woke up and suddenly I became a world-class inventor. I kept coming up with new shit every other minute. I still do, obviously. But that's my exclusive origin story that I decided to gracefully share with you so you can finally fuckin' understand!'

Akamatsu blinked. 'I wasn't going to question you, but I don't think it's a superpower. Maybe you just…found inspiration? I just realised,' she added, 'that you said that a lot of your inventions had to do with doing things in your sleep, right?'

'Yeah. Being in a coma made me realise how much time we waste snoring and drooling and all that shit, in our sleep. It's lame. It's not like your brain doesn't work when you're unconscious, and you should fuckin' use it. Some schmucks probably use their brains in their sleep more than at any other time,' she added, cackling crudely. 'It's an oversight in the design, so why not fix it? I lost so much fuckin' time in my coma that I could have used to invent shit that would save the world! And I decided that I would not lose any more time ever again! Which is why my time is so goddamn precious and you should be grateful that I give any of it to you!'

Akamatsu was, against her better judgement, impressed. Indeed, Iruma did spend most of her time either in her room or in the warehouse coming up with all sorts of ideas, some more helpful than others.

'For what it's worth,' she said carefully, 'I don't think doing other things is a waste of time, you know? Iruma-san, you come up with amazing things all the time, but your worth isn't dependent on that, you know?'

'Huh?' Iruma squinted in confusion.

'What I mean is, I think you would be great even if you weren't a genius inventor. I think that even before you first started getting ideas, you already had worth as a person. That's...why people are being nice to you. They appreciate you. But it almost seems like you're avoiding all of us.' Akamatsu tried not to sound accusatory, but she wasn't sure if it worked. She held her breath.

Iruma's face went pale before flushing pink again. Her mouth opened, but no words came out for a while.

'You don't need to avoid us, you know?' Akamatsu continued. 'I can tell you want to be friends with everyone. You're desperate for it!' she raised her voice. 'But you keep pushing us away and being mean and crude. You know you don't need to, right? We will like you anyway.'

'Shut up,' Iruma muttered, rubbing her temples. 'Shut up you corny bitch.'

Akamatsu smirked. 'It's fine, Iruma-san. I will leave you alone if you want me t-'

'No,' Iruma protested softly, almost fearfully, 'don't go. Don't leave me.'

Akamatsu got up from the bed and stood in front of Iruma, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently. Iruma's wet eyes stared down at their hands and back at Akamatsu's face in silent shock.

'I won't leave you, Iruma-san. That's what I'm here for, you know? I'm your friend, even if you don't want me to be,' she said with a soft smile. 'Now stop trying to run away from everything and everyone. Stop putting up a wall between yourself and the rest of us. You don't want it to be there either, do you?' Akamatsu felt her voice shake as she spoke somewhat harshly, throwing the words into Iruma's pale, twitching face, which she then shoved against Akamatsu's chest as if to hide from her while, at the same time, being closer to her.

It was a quintessentially Iruma action, Akamatsu mused with a crooked smile, patting her gently on the back.

As far as she could tell, Iruma wasn't crying, but she was mumbling incoherently into her chest and breathing heavily. It didn't feel very comfortable, and yet the physical contact was making her blush.

'There, there,' she murmured as Iruma kept rambling emotionally and clinging onto her desperately as if she were drowning. 'There, there.'

It took some time before Iruma tired herself out and let go of Akamatsu, breathing rhythmically. She didn't seem like she was going to cry anymore. She looked down at Akamatsu with conflicted emotions.

'Thanks. I feel better now that I told your tiny tits how I feel.'

Akamatsu covered her chest, embarrassed. 'Wait, you were actually saying things? Not just screaming?'

'Huh? Fuck no. I told em everything, all right. And I'm not saying it again.'

Akamatsu chuckled in disbelief. 'As long as it helped!' she remarked cheerfully.

'Hey. Bakamatsu,' Iruma addressed her suddenly. 'Have ya been wondering who knocked out Saihara? I figured you know it wasn't…her…'

Akamatsu flinched. All her muscles tensed up. 'Huh? Yeah, I guess I've been wondering about that. Why?'

Iruma avoided eye contact. 'I may or may not know who did it,' she muttered almost inaudibly.

'Who?!' Akamatsu pounced instinctively.

Iruma took a step back nervously. 'I ain't telling ya who did it… I just wanted you to know that it wasn't because he knew too much or whatever other shit you assumed. Nobody was tryna off him or whatever. It was an accident. Wrong time, wrong place type a deal.'

Akamatsu knit her eyebrows. Iruma wouldn't be telling her about it if she wasn't thinking about it herself. It's been two weeks since that happened, so it wasn't relevant, unless…

'...Are you the person who did it?'

Iruma yelped. 'I toldja I'm not saying who did it. I'm just…makin' sure that you don't have the wrong idea. You should be fuckin' grateful,' she grumbled.

'No, I am grateful. That clears up some things for me,' Akamatsu said sincerely. She wasn't lying. That was important information. She had always assumed that there was something more to that incident, but if not… 'Thank you for sharing that with me. I owe you one!' she bowed her head in gratitude, knowing that it would fluster Iruma.

'Th-that's right. Don't forget it!' she insisted, blushing furiously. 'And, Bakamatsu…thanks or whatever. I thought I was gonna explode earlier. Maybe talking to you wasn't a waste of time after all… Maybe.'

Akamatsu was overjoyed. 'We can talk as much as you want, whenever you're not busy! We're fr-'

'Friends, huh? If you're that desperate to call the great Iruma Miu your friend, I-I guess I'll allow it…'

Akamatsu grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them before leaving the room.

She really felt like Iruma was starting to warm up to the idea of being friends. Moreover, she shared an important piece of information, that changed a lot if it was true…which she had to assume it was.

There was still some time in the day. She could continue her streak of talking to her classmates and getting them to open up to her.

And so she did, having sought out a person who, she felt, could really use some attention right now.

'Akamatsu. I haven't seen you in a while. Are you feeling alright now?' Hoshi asked, watching her cautiously when she approached him down in the casino.

At first she didn't know where that question could have come from, but then she remembered that the last time they saw each other was after Hoshi and the others banged on her door because they were worried that she was dead.

'Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I've been doing a lot of walking and talking today, is all,' she said with an embarrassed smile. 'I'm sorry about scaring you this morning, I completely lost track of time.'

'You always do that, huh? Just walking around, making sure that everyone's doing fine, talking to them… I guess I'm glad to be included in that,' he mused. 'And don't worry about that whole deal. All that matters is that you're fine and we panicked for nothing.'

Akamatsu was positively floored. 'That's such a change in attitude, compared to the first time I talked to you!' she remarked. 'That's not a bad thing, of course,' she added quickly, 'I just expected you to tell me you're not worth my attention or something.'

Hoshi chuckled. 'There would be no point in saying that, would there? You'd already made up your mind to talk to me…and I don't think it would be fair to discourage you. Especially as…I don't mind your company.'

'You can't imagine how glad I am to hear that!' Akamatsu exclaimed, clapping her hands. 'Oh, and I have something you might like,' she added, handing him a dog tag. He accepted it gracefully.

'Akamatsu, you're really generous, aren't you? Not just with the gifts…' Hoshi mused, nodding his head.

'I just like making people smile in any way I can,' Akamatsu remarked humbly. 'Whether it's by playing my music or giving them something they'll like, or offering a kind word. After all, the bonds we form and the happiness we spread are all we have, sometimes.'

'I used to think that those were hollow words and unrealistic concepts. I think that I may have been wrong,' Hoshi admitted with a sigh. 'Akamatsu, wanna go upstairs with me?'

'Where to?' she asked, caught off guard by the sudden change of pace.

'The gym. The tennis court,' Hoshi said with a calm smile.

'Do you think I'd be good enough of an opponent for you to play against…?' she asked with a hint of insecurity.

'It doesn't matter if you're good,' Hoshi corrected gently, 'it matters if you want to. You and Momota are the ones who encouraged me and helped me pick up tennis again…and he's not here anymore. If you don't want to, I understand. I just wanted to ask you just in case.'

Akamatsu was moved. It felt like a responsibility, now, but he said it so casually. She still didn't fully understand what Hoshi' s history with tennis was, and she didn't want to pry too much, but it seemed like, with her encouragement, she undid something big that was weighing on him.

She also realised that the fact she found him there, in the casino, was telling, too… It probably reminded him of Momota, as it did her. Even though he never set foot there, both of them could feel his spiritual energy there, knowing that he would love this place if he ever got to see it. She noticed, just then, that the ceiling was painted so as to resemble a starry night sky.

It was almost too perfect.

'Of course I want to try! It sounds like a ton of fun!' she said, following him up the stairs. Truth be told, she was scared of the ball hitting her in the face or something - but she trusted Hoshi not to hurt her.

Indeed, as it turned out, their relatively short match consisted mostly of Akamatsu desperately dodging the ball and equally desperately swinging at it with the racquet she was holding clumsily in her sweaty, shaking hands. At least she managed to not trip even once, but, on the other hand, she also didn't hit the ball even once, either. All of them simply flew by her before she managed to even make a move.

But it was fun, all things considered, at least until she ran out of energy and had to sit down on the floor, panting, as sweat dripped down her forehead.

Hoshi offered her a bottle of water, which she accepted gratefully and proceeded to drink the whole thing in one go. While she was doing that, Hoshi sat down beside her at a respectful distance of about half a foot.

'Thanks,' he said once she finished drinking. 'I'm sorry for tiring you out, but I'm grateful that you agreed to this. Maybe later you can teach me piano in return,' he suggested shyly. 'Just a random idea that popped into my head.'

'Hoshi-kun… I'd love to teach you the piano! I don't even know what kind of music you like,' she realised, looking down apologetically.

'I liked what I heard you play earlier. I'd say that's my favourite kind of music,' he confessed with a crooked smile. 'Normally I'd never say anything this embarrassing…' he muttered under his breath.

'I don't think it's embarrassing at all,' Akamatsu assured, shaking her head. 'I'm flattered, really! I'm always happy to hear that I helped someone feel the beauty of music,' she said sincerely.

'Ah, you said that earlier. That you want to make people smile with your music. I think you're very good at it. As I said earlier, you're generous in many ways…and it made me realise something important.'

'What is it?' Akamatsu asked.

'The way you interact with people matters. Not just what you say to them, or about them… How you carry yourself, how you talk about yourself to others, what aura you have… Those things don't only affect you, but those who see and hear you, who are around you. I had thought that beating myself up was something that only affected me. That since I didn't allow anybody to get close to me, they wouldn't suffer with me and just go on with their lives. And yet, despite my warnings, you kept trying, you kept telling me that I'm bringing the mood down and shouldn't be so hard on myself. You were right. Being around me was miserable only because I made it so. I still don't think it was smart of you to approach me, but I'm grateful that you did.'

'That's profound…'

'Not really. In hindsight, it just seems obvious. I didn't want to make anybody miserable, so I withdrew…which made those who wanted to be with me miserable. It's counterintuitive, isn't it? I had assumed that you wouldn't want to be around me knowing what I did, but you kept coming back…so my assumption was wrong and made things harder than they needed to be.'

'You should never assume how people feel,' Akamatsu said firmly. 'Instead, you should approach them with kindness and patience so they end the conversation happier than when they started it!' she added, pointing her finger up enthusiastically.

'That's what I'm trying to do now. It's hard to change my way of thinking after so long,' Hoshi mused, 'but it's the right thing to do. Speaking of the right thing to do,' he added, suddenly seeming tense, 'I have a clarification to make. Will you listen to me?'

'Of course,' Akamatsu promised immediately. 'I'll listen to anything you want to tell me.' She could tell that it was something he was nervous about. Was it connected to the motive…?

'Remember what I told you when you first approached me? That was a long time ago so I'll understand if you forgot,' he asked with a faint self-deprecating smile.

'Huh? Um…' Akamatsu remembered, of course, but it was still hard to say it out loud. 'You told me that you've killed someone before. Is that what this is about? Hoshi-kun, no matter what-'

'Yeah, it's about that. I need to get this off my chest, so let me finish,' he requested softly yet firmly. 'I'm not sure how much this will change, and I will understand if you decide that it's too much. After all, I thought you'd find what I initially told you to be too much.'

'No matter what you tell me, I will keep being your friend,' Akamatsu declared.

'That's a bold statement,' Hoshi sighed. 'I expected nothing less from you. That said, I won't mind if you change your mind. What I initially told you was pretty vague.'

'You only told me that you've killed someone and that you went to prison for it,' Akamatsu recounted, struggling to remember anything more.

'That's how I remembered it. Well, that's not a lie,' he mused sadly, 'but it's not the whole truth. I was reminded of it when Ouma told me about my file and I felt like I owe you the full version as well. It was a harsh reminder.'

'Oh, right. Ouma-kun and you traded files in the end, right? He gave me his to open if something happens to him…' she confessed, knitting her eyebrows. She still wasn't sure what he could have possibly meant by that.

'Yeah, we traded. I won't get into the specifics, but I can tell you're worried about it.'

'Is it that obvious?' she asked sheepishly with an awkward smile.

'It's written all over your face. But I can't blame you,' he said with a smile, then paused as if to collect his thoughts. 'I can't tell you there's nothing wrong. Discovering things about people you thought you know can be dangerous. But we'll be fine, even though I don't really think I deserve to have this quite yet. Back to the point,' he continued, without a smile, 'I did kill someone. But it wasn't just one person. And it wasn't so much accidental, as it was revenge.'

'R-revenge?'

'Yeah. Got involved in something shady with the yakuza.'

'Oh. Hoshi-kun, wait! You don't have to tell me anything more. I see it's paining you to.'

'Maybe it is. Are you sure?'

'I'm sure that no matter what the details of this story are, it won't change how I feel about you as a person. Even if it's true that you killed multiple people…that's all a thing of the past, and it sounds like I wouldn't do it again. What I care about,' Akamatsu continued passionately,' is the person you are now, and the person you have the potential to be. I'm sorry if that's insensitive to your past traumas somehow, but you really don't need to confess everything to me. We all have sins.'

'Maybe you're right again. I've been clinging onto the past so much that I lost sight of everything else. But I've been slowly getting it back, thanks to you and Momota, and Ouma… Do you want to know what else I realised?' he asked with a mysterious smile.

'Tell me,' she said, focused on him entirely, with her eyebrows knit.

'I want to stay alive. Earlier, when Yumeno died…I thought that could have been me. At the time, it could have. I kept telling myself that my death wouldn't matter if it allowed someone who has something worth living for to escape this place. Now…I don't think it's that simple. I've watched everyone react to the dead bodies, to the executions…and I realised that no matter who the person was, how and why they died, nobody was ever relieved to be rid of them or unaffected by the loss. I started to think that maybe my death would do more harm than good in the end…so I'm determined to keep on living.'

Akamatsu was so moved that she almost started crying as she smiled at him with pure joy.' Hoshi-kun! I will get you out of here! We will all escape, I'm sure of it!'

'At this point, I'm willing to believe that,' he said with the biggest smile she had ever seen from him.

He extended his hand towards her and she grabbed it, giving it an enthusiastic shake, which seemed to fluster him a bit.

They had a deal, now. A deal to try their best to survive and escape.

Akamatsu was aware that it would be hard, but she believed that they would figure it out. With so many talented, bright people coming together, nothing was impossible.

She said goodbye to Hoshi and headed towards the dorms. She wanted to leave the rest of her gatchapon prizes in her room before grabbing something to eat from the cafeteria.

While she easily fulfilled the first half of her plan, the second part had to wait, following an unpredictable distraction in the form of a CD she had spotted in the feet of her bed, with her name written on it (as per usual, on a sticker with printed kanji).

She picked up the CD and examined it carefully. It seemed as regular as they come, but she sensed certain sinister energy from it. It couldn't have come from anyone but Monokuma, after all…

She kept wondering what she was supposed to do with it, but then a realisation hit her.

The computers on the fourth floor could probably play it. It wouldn't hurt to try.

Lunch first, though, of course.

***

Kiibo opened his eyes.

It was a puzzling function for him to have - closing his eyes. It wasn't like he needed to blink or anything like that, and yet the option was right here. Perhaps it was there in case someone tried to damage his eyes.

Kiibo wondered about his functions quite a lot lately, ever since Ouma ever so kindly made him doubt his status in the killing game. Normally, he dismissed Ouma's teasing as the incomprehensible remarks it usually was - being called a white knight didn't make him ponder much, because it seemed like pure gibberish.

On the contrary, being made to question his very existence couldn't be dismissed so easily, particularly because he didn't have an answer ready. He didn't understand enough about the process of his own creation. That is not to say that most humans knew just how complicated the process behind their life was, but at least they could read about it in books - as Kiibo himself did not long ago, using the fascinating textbooks in the Biology Lab.

In his case, though, the difference was that, as far as anybody knew, he was one of a kind, and there was nobody he could ask about certain things, no source to confront.

He reasoned that since he had been included in the killing game, his existence counted as a life just as valid - and just as easy to take - as a human's. But the specifics of it all escaped him all the same.

Compared not only to human beings but to most animals, he lacked many functions that generally seemed to qualify as 'being alive'. He didn't have blood in his veins, or any veins to begin with, he didn't breathe, he didn't eat, he didn't sleep. As far as biology books were concerned, that disqualified him.

If that was the case, though, why did he feel alive? Why did he think and process emotions just like everyone around him? Why did he crave so much more than just being a learning machine? And, most importantly, why did he think about death if it didn't concern him?

Presumably he would count as dead if he couldn't turn back on. That was almost too simple…

'Hey, Kiibs! Stop spacing out and gimme that thingy!'

Iruma's sharp voice snapped him out of his silent crisis.

***

Akamatsu made herself some sandwiches, wolfed them down gracelessly, and was currently going upstairs with the CD in her pocket. By the time she finished her meal it was almost nighttime, but she didn't mind that at all. She wouldn't be able to sleep if she hadn't checked out what was on the CD. Experience taught her not to ignore Monokuma’s gifts.

On the third floor, she almost bumped into Ouma, who had just left the art room in a hurry.

'Oof! Akamatsu-chan, what are you doing out at this hour?' he asked cheerfully upon noticing it was her.

'Oh, um,' Akamatsu stammered, unsure what to tell him. 'I was going to look at the memorial. I've been thinking about our dead friends a lot, so I thought that would calm me down.'

Ouma's purple catlike eyes narrowed at her, shining in the dim light of the hall. 'That's perfect timing, Akamatsu-chan! I just added Harukawa-chan and Momota-chan to it.'

'Oh, really?' Akamatsu was impressed that he remembered to honour them. 'I definitely have to look now!'

'Uh-huh. Go look at them before you go where you're really going,' he said with a sly smile.

She looked at him sheepishly. 'That's where I'm really going,' she insisted.

'And I didn't really add anything to the memorial. That was a lie! Are you still going to see?'

Akamatsu realised that her lie was unnecessary and stupid, but it was oddly exhilarating to play this game. Perhaps she could understand Ouma better now. 'Uh-huh,' she impersonated him, 'that's what I was going to do all along, so why stop now?'

He eyed her with curiosity and some respect. 'Alright then! Kind of a weird time for that, but you do you,' he said, walking past her down the stairs. She noticed that, rather than simply walking, he was skipping.

Against her better judgement, she did check out the memorial. Ouma wasn't lying the first time around - he did add doodles of Harukawa and Momota to the memorial. Harukawa was holding a sickle while scowling at the viewer, and Momota was puffing out his chest with a goofy smile. There was an arrow pointing at him, with 'idiot' written above it.

Having made sure that he wasn't lying, and giving herself a bit of an alibi, she headed upstairs and to the computer room.

It was empty, but all the computers were turned on. As Iruma said, they were now perfectly functional, even if the functions were limited. There was a drawing program, a writing program, and, much to her relief, a media player.

She carefully inserted the CD onto the tray and into the computer. It made a whirring noise that startled her a bit.

There were headphones plugged into every computer, which convinced her that this was all a part of some plan. She put the headphones on and made sure to turn down the volume, just in time for the autoplay to start.

A gasp escaped her lips a moment later, as her legs started to shake.

What she heard on the CD was her own voice.

***

MONOKUMA THEATER

People spend too much time wondering what will happen to them after they die.

And they think about it all wrong. Who cares if you have a soul and where it might go?

What you should be thinking about is what will happen after you die and your shitty body stays here!

First, you will stink up the room. Those suckers mourning you are in for a nasty surprise!

Then, they will realise they need to spend a ton of money to bury your shitty lifeless body so they don't have to keep looking at it.

Then, they will realise they inherited your debt and will have to tell everyone that you're dead, which is a pain in the ass.

And then, you will rot in the ground forever, while your family scrambles to take care of all the annoying things you left for them.

Even in death, you will be nothing but an inconvenience.

Of course, that's all you. Not me. Bears don't have debt or funerals. If I die, I will still contribute to forest society by letting them eat me.

But you bastards can't even do this much!

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm alive and well! Vacation's been good so far.


	46. Chapter 5: Daily Life 5

Akamatsu found herself in a state of shock as the nighttime announcement went off above her. She paid it no mind, and barely even registered it through the pulsating sensation in her temples and the pounding in her chest.

Initially, she couldn't make out any of the words being said, too hung up on having recognised her own voice in the mysterious recording. She paused it - which took her a few tries, because of her shaking hands - and took a deep breath. Understanding what the recording was saying was crucial to figuring out what it represented, when it was recorded, and whether it was real or not.

She decided to rewind it back to the very beginning and Began hovering the cursor over the play button. Once she decided that she's mentally prepared to hear it, she hit the button.

_'If I were in a killing game? What a weird question,'_ her own voice spoke into her headphones. The quality of the recording wasn't too bad but definitely not professional, either, even though it sounded like an interview. _'Obviously, I would mobilize everyone into not participating. I'm sure that if everyone banded together, they could defeat the mastermind.'_

There was some background noise, but she couldn't make out any words or individual voices, only her own. The recording skipped, indicating that something was cut off - probably so as not to reveal who was asking the questions. And then…

_'Huh, of course I wouldn't kill anyone! Except in self-defence…and, well, I wouldn't hesitate to kill the person who created the killing game if that meant ending it!'_ her voice continued, starting to sound nervous, but still with as much conviction as ever. _'Killing each other wouldn't help us at all, you know? You have to strike where you'll make a change!'_

There was another sharp cut. Her sensitive ears could notice the difference immediately. It seemed like somebody else had joined the discussion but their input was cut off.

_'Huh? No, it's not naive. It's the opposite of naive! It's always worth a try. No, I wouldn't be standing around with a megaphone calling for people to work together… Ugh, I guess it's easier said than done, but I believe that's the right way! I do!'_ Akamatsu from the recording continued insisting. Then, she said something that made the current Akamatsu's blood freeze over in her veins. _'You know, it's not like I'll ever be in such a situation. But I believe that's what I would do.'_

It's not like I'll ever be in such a situation…

That's where the recording ended. Akamatsu paused it before it could start playing from the beginning again. It would be too much to handle so soon.

Her brain was working hard to process everything that she had just heard. There was a lot of information in that short recording, not all of it obvious, not all of it in the words being said.

Firstly, the fact the recording had been cut in places. That could mean a number of things - either they cut off bigger chunks and simply put together some of her lines out of context, or they cut off what other people were saying to just leave what she said. Given what she heard, it seemed to be the latter, just a part of a conversation with only her own words left.

Secondly, there was background noise. Which meant that the recording wasn't conducted in a closed space or anything like that. There were other people in there… Not just Akamatsu and whoever was recording.

Therefore, it didn't seem to be an actual interview or anything like that. Perhaps it was a casual conversation…one that she had no idea was being recorded?

That begged the question, though…what on earth kind of casual conversation involved talking about killing games? Somebody must have asked the question, perhaps out of pure curiosity, but there still must have been some rhyme and reason behind it that was impossible to decipher from this recording alone.

Akamatsu rubbed her temples.

The words she heard…definitely sounded like something she would have said. She still said similar things in the middle of this killing game, and she more or less meant them. It was indeed the most logical course of action to eliminate the mastermind rather than the participants, if possible, of course..

If not possible, the only other option was escape. In any case, the goal was to win against the mastermind at all costs, in whatever way was available.

The only thing Akamatsu from the recording was wrong about…was that she wouldn't end up in a situation like this. In a way, she wished that she could have warned her past self not to be so sure about things like that. You never know what can happen.

Her mind was a jumbled mess. It was quite a miracle that she managed to reason out this much.

Suddenly acutely aware that she had snuck out at night and wouldn't want anybody to see her there, she frantically closed the audio player, took the CD out of the slot, and hurried back downstairs.

Luckily, she didn't run into anybody on her way to the dorms, and could leap face first onto her bed as soon as she entered her room.

She hadn't even realised how exhausted she was until her head hit the soft, welcoming pillow, lulling her into a deep sleep almost immediately.

***

When she woke up eight hours later, her head was still throbbing with anxiety and confusion.

A detail that had just hit her as somewhat odd and perhaps suspicious was that Monokuma didn't gather them at the gym to tell them about the new motive. Did that mean it wasn't a motive at all? Or did he not want to announce it for some reason?

She could ask around to make sure that the others got their CDs too, but after the time Ouma caught her rushing downstairs to listen, she felt vaguely embarrassed about it for some reason.

In any case, she couldn't lie around doing nothing all day, so she got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair and teeth.

While she did that, she remembered that there was another specific part of the recording that caught her attention. It was the part that made her struggle to remember something that was buried in the depths of her brain.

The mention of calling for everybody to cooperate by using a megaphone. That image was eerily familiar, much in the same way as the idea that the school they were in was located on an isolated, deserted island.

They both triggered a very similar reaction in her - deja vu, but in a peculiar way… She knew neither of these things were something she had experienced. They were things she must have read about in the book whose title she'd been struggling to remember. Or perhaps it was a movie…

If a killing game that took place on an island was indeed something from a novel or a film...that might have been the key. But she couldn't quite make out which keyhole it fit yet…

Leaving that aside for now, she headed towards the cafeteria.

***

When she arrived, Tenko, Shirogane and Hoshi had already been talking. They paused as soon as she entered, glancing at her with nervous smiles.

'Thank goodness that you made it this time,' Shirogane mused, fidgeting and playing with her long skirt. 'I'm not saying we were worried again, but…'

'...But you sound like you wouldn't hesitate to break my door down if I slept in again,' Akamatsu noted with a crooked smile, sitting down next to them.

'Maybe not. I think we've calmed down,' Hoshi pointed out calmly, sipping his coffee. 'I hope so, at least,' he added diplomatically, glancing at the girls.

'Ah, but you do look pale, Kaede-san,' Tenko said, concerned. 'Did you not sleep well again? Tenko hopes you're not pushing yourself too hard!'

'Oh, that's true!' Shirogane added, suddenly concerned as well. 'I-I mean… I think we're all tired of being here by now… That's what we were talking about just now, actually…'

'I'm fine, guys,' Akamatsu waved their concerns away with an awkward chuckle. 'Though, I do wish we could escape already, obviously. I believe we will. We just have to find the exit! It has to be somewhere!'

'O-of course…' Shirogane whispered sheepishly. 'Where though? I-I mean!...I'm not expecting you to find it now, of course, but we checked everywhere, didn't we?' she pointed out, knitting her eyebrows.

'Kaede-san is right, though! There needs to be an exit somewhere!' Tenko chimed in. 'It must be hidden really well! Monokuma wouldn't just let us find it, but it must exist!'

'That's a tricky statement, Chabashira,' Hoshi remarked smugly. 'There must be an exit, because Monokuma promised that if you win a trial, he will send you home. And I don't think he lied. But that's not really reassuring, is it? That just means that one of us might see it if the others die.'

'Who said it's the only exit?' Akamatsu protested, shaking her head at him. 'This is a school building. We got here somehow! Even if we were airdropped or something, they didn't build this school around us! Come on!' She knew that Hoshi was teasing, but it still was too grim for her taste.

'I-I believe that…but what if there's another part of the school that's still unavailable to us, and that one has the exit? We'll never get there!' Shirogane mused.

'I see you bastards are talking about escaping again!' Monokuma’s voice chimed in from behind them.

'Kyaaa!' Shirogane shrieked.

'How dare you startle us like that!' Tenko hissed, covering her face defensively.

'What do you want?' Hoshi asked calmly yet coldly.

'You guys really aren't kind to me,' Monokuma complained, looking down at the floor. 'And here I was trying to help by telling you about the nature of the exit.'

'I know where it must be,' Akamatsu said confidently. 'You lied to us earlier and I don't see why else you would if it wasn't to conceal the exit.'

'Bears never lie, Akamatsu-san. You wound me,' Monokuma scoffed. 'What is it that I think you lied about?'

'You said that we'd get to explore the rest of the school now. But there are still some areas we're locked out of in the basement.'

'Oh!!' Shirogane exclaimed, her face lit up with sudden realisation.

'Akamatsu-san, I had no idea you'd want to explore the infirmary!' Monokuma grinned sarcastically. 'Have you been into morbid stuff this entire time without me knowing? Did Shinguuji-kun inspire you or something? I could unlock it for you, but I promise you'll find nothing but bodies there.'

'Hmph,' Hoshi hummed, looking down into his empty cup.

'That's not the only area down there that you locked away,' Akamatsu retorted, ignoring Monokuma’s teasing. 'The door at the end of the hall. It's unlabelled but I'm almost positive that the exit is right there!'

Tenko gasped softly under her breath.

Monokuma looked Akamatsu in the eyes with an unmoving, wide grin.

'I'll tell you the honest truth about that door. What's behind it isn't ready. If all goes well, you'll get access to it soon. But I think you have the wrong idea about what's there.'

Akamatsu bit her bottom lip. She was starting to get frustrated.

'What do you mean, it's not ready?' Shirogane asked, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

'You will see once it's ready. A bear can't go spilling secrets like that, you know? Just be patient for once in your miserable lives!'

'That's going to eat at Tenko now…' she murmured.

'While you're here, I have one more question,' Akamatsu said quickly, seeing that Monokuma was getting ready to go.

'What is it, Akamatsu-san?' the bear asked in an artificially sweet voice, grinning in her face. 'Your questions are always welcome.'

'I'm sure,' she said coldly. 'I was just wondering if you prepared motives for everyone, including those who died before we got them. Like, you know, the files and stuff?'

'Of course. I couldn't predict which of you bastards would get yourselves killed, and I have something on all of you. Why?' Monokuma tilted his head curiously.

'I was just curious,' Akamatsu said casually. 'So they're still somewhere?'

Tenko clenched her fists, biting her bottom lip. Presumably, she was thinking about Yumeno's file, and what could have been in it. Whatever it was, it would confirm once and for all if the newspaper clippings were talking about her or not… That would be a huge deal.

Hoshi seemed tense, too, watching Monokuma carefully.

'Are you asking if I disposed of their files? I didn't. I'm keeping them safe. But, Akamatsu-san, what business is it of yours? You really want to mess with dead people's business, huh? How morbid!' the bear exclaimed, giggling into his paws. His attempts at embarrassing her weren't working, which he didn't seem to notice or care much about.

'I was just curious!' Akamatsu insisted. 'I mean, I know they're dead, but they're still my friends, and I still care about them. If I could read their files, I would without hesitation!'

Shirogane inhaled sharply and held her breath. Tenko fiddled with her thumbs nervously.

'Would you?' Monokuma asked with a malicious smile. 'You know that none of what you'd find would be good stuff? You wanna ruin your memories of your friends? I mean, I have no issues with spilling all the dirt I have, I'm just shocked, so very shocked…'

Akamatsu pursed her lips. 'I will always remember my friends fondly. I found out what was in Momota-kun' s file after he died, and I still admire him all the same. Anyway, I was just asking but I don't expect you to show me or anything…you locked their rooms away for a reason, right?'

Monokuma looked into her eyes. 'We'll see about that.'

Having said that, he disappeared.

Akamatsu stroked Tenko's shoulder, gently and patiently. Nobody was saying anything. The atmosphere had changed sharply thanks to Monokuma’s appearance, and nobody was going to talk casually anymore.

Shirogane left first. Hoshi slowly got up from his seat as well and headed towards the exit. Tenko nodded at Akamatsu and headed out as well.

Akamatsu was left eating by herself. She didn't get an opportunity to ask about the CDs, and at that moment, she really preferred not to bring it up. If the others hadn't gotten one, they would just get stressed out for no reason.

She got up from her seat, grabbed her backpack, and washed the dishes absentmindedly.

Something in the atmosphere felt different. The aura of the school was changing in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. Everyone seemed to be close to reaching a breaking point…and it was going to be resolved in some way really soon. She just prayed that the solution wasn't going to be murder.

No. She had to believe. Nobody would resort to murder anymore. The group was too tightly-knit for that to happen. She really believed that they were close to achieving true friendship. Her conversations with Ouma, Iruma and Hoshi proved as much, and everyone seemed to mostly be getting along.

She firmly believed that there would be no more murders. But something was going to happen for sure.

All she could do in this situation was talk to people. As much as possible. Check how they're feeling…and let them know they're not alone here.

She finished doing the dishes and headed out of the cafeteria. It was time to check on everybody once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter one this time. The next one will be much longer!


	47. Chapter 5: Daily Life 6

Akamatsu headed towards the pool first, walking casually through the empty gym and the girls' changing room. She had figured that perhaps looking at the clean, nice-smelling water and dipping her toes in it would calm her down and make it easier to relax. Maybe she could even go for a swim later and invite all the other girls. The first time was so fun, after all.

She didn't get to ponder that for too long, because she noticed that someone was already sitting near the edge of the pool, looking down at the surface, someone she was going to look for anyway – it was Chabashira Tenko, hugging her knees. She glanced in Akamatsu's direction when she heard her walk in, and forced a faint smile, waving her hand enthusiastically.

'Kaede-san!' she exclaimed. 'Tenko was hoping you'd come around here! Were you going to swim...?' she asked, blushing faintly. Akamatsu sat down next to her, placing her backpack in her lap as Tenko watched carefully.

'Aah, we could all go for a swim again later today!' she said, stretching her arms. 'But for now, I just came to hang out with you. It seems like you need it,' she remarked softly.

Tenko hid her face against her knees. 'Perhaps,' she whispered. 'Tenko would appreciate your company, of course!' she added quickly.

'I have something for you, by the way!' Akamatsu informed, taking something out of her backpack. It was a hand-knit sweater – warm and fuzzy, knitted with love. Tenko stared at it in awe, hesitant to take it until Akamatsu quite literally shoved it into her hands with an encouraging smile. The other girl instinctively hugged it against her chest, enjoying the warmth. 'I see you like it,' Akamatsu remarked, giggling into her hand.

'Tenko loves it,' she whispered, burying her face in the warm fabric. 'Thank you so much, Kaede-san!' she added, finally looking at her again. Her mood definitely got better, Akamatsu noted with relief.

'Thank goodness. I hoped it would be your style,' she said cheerfully. 'Now, I have been wondering...were you going to swim? You didn't last time, and yet you came here now and I can tell you wanted to swim. Then, why...?' she immediately waved her hand, noticing Tenko's expression change into a panicked frown. 'Ah, I don't mean to be invasive! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! I'm just worried about you, is all.'

'You're not being invasive, Kaede-san. Tenko promises,' she said quickly, fiddling her thumbs. 'You're right, too. Tenko did consider swimming, she's just...hesitant.' She heaved a sigh and clenched her fists. 'Tenko never felt comfortable with swimming in pools...in public in general...in a swimsuit, or even without. She's always been scared of her body and her presence being unwelcome.'

Akamatsu pursed her lips. She could understand Tenko's hesitation, but she felt uncontrollable anger at anybody who made her feel this insecure. Even while they were talking, Tenko was folding her arms over her chest, as if to hide.

'Who made you feel this way? I won't stand for it. There's nothing wrong with your body!' Akamatsu insisted, grabbing her hand protectively.

Tenko shook her head and gave her a sad smile before looking back at her feet again. 'Tenko couldn't tell you who said such things to her. It's not always about what people actually say... It's quite difficult to describe. You see, there is a lot that Tenko doesn't want to involve you in. It is not worth the nerves.' She sighed deeply. 'Kaede-san, have you ever been told that you should not be around girls, because you like them?' she asked cautiously.

Akamatsu thought back on her life, trying to remember. 'I don't think I told many people about it when I was younger. And I didn't have many female friends anyway,' she whispered. The file confirmed as much. 

'Tenko always thought that it was wrong. But...she never interacted with girls as freely as she did in this school. Despite the danger we're all in, or perhaps because of it...Tenko went to her first all-girl sleepover. She pursued Yumeno-san and then Harukawa-san. It almost feels selfish of Tenko to be grateful for that...but she truly felt seen as a girl and not a threat for the first time!'

'I don't think it's selfish,' Akamatsu assured, squeezing her hand. 'There's nothing wrong with you for pursuing girls! And if someone saw you as anything other than a girl, I'd yell at them, I promise!'

Tenko smiled. 'Tenko would beat them up herself! But...' she hesitated. 'Tenko knows there is nothing wrong with her. But it was hard to be confident in that until now. If people saw Tenko as...as not a real girl...they would hurt her. They would mock her. If girls saw her as a girl that likess them, they would avoid her. And if men saw her as a girl, and noticed that she wants nothing to do with them, they would try to pursue her.' She pursed her lips and knit her eyebrows. 'They really can't take no for an answer. That's how they are. Tenko wants nothing to do with them!' she scoffed angrily.

'So that's why you dislike men so much?' Akamatsu asked, soothingly stroking her shoulder. 'I can understand that. I don't think they're all like that, though, for what it's worth,' she said cautiously.

Tenko glanced at her in silence. 'Does Tenko need a reason to dislike men?' she asked finally. 'Of course, there are reasons! As she said, men have been terrible! Not just towards her, but towards other girls! They don't cherish them at all. They're entitled and rude. They take what they want by force. Tenko doesn't want to have anything to do with them, or be mistaken for one. That is it.'

Akamatsu inhaled sharply. 'I can't disagree with that. A lot of men are like that. But, I don't think all of them are like that. And...girls can be like that, too. That doesn't mean you have to start liking guys more,' she added with a small laugh, seeing Tenko's expression. 'I don't think I need to tell you that, anyway. You saw for yourself that Toujou-san almost committed triple murder for her own benefit. Angie-san and I were both really stubborn. Harukawa-san...killed many people. Meanwhile, you seem to be getting along with Hoshi-kun well enough.'

'That is true,' Tenko admitted. 'Tenko never expected that girls are capable of acts like that...she may have idolised them in her head. But, that doesn't make her admire them any less. As for Hoshi-san,' she mused, 'he is not as bad as every other menace Tenko had met before. He doesn't seem to want to do harm to anyone. Unlike that awful Ouma-san, and the way the late Momota-san used to be' she scoffed, scrunching up her nose. Akamatsu laughed.

'I guess there are two morals to this conversation. First is that people are individuals, regardless of gender and such... Second is that people can always change.' She got up from the floor. 'That said, Tenko-san, be proud of your body and your love for girls! There's no shame in either of those things! And I, for one, would love to see you in a swimsuit.'

Tenko blushed furiously. 'W-would you?!' she asked, waving her hands defensively. 'B-but you would have to see Tenko's body hair, and, and her embarrassing birthmark, and-'

'That's fine!' Akamatsu insisted. 'Bodies are bodies, you know? And you're really cute!' She meant everything she said. Offering Tenko a hand, she winked.

The two of them headed back to the changing room. Tenko's body was noticeably shaking, but she sent Akamatsu a warm smile everytime she squeezed her hand. They opened her locker and grabbed the swimsuit.

Tenko put it on, slowly but surely. Akamatsu looked away, despite the temptation to peek. Finally, Tenko told her that she's ready, and she looked at her swimsuit-clad body.

It was a one piece, light blue in colour, with a pattern of white hearts and an indigo ribbon on the chest. It had a skirt-like flap that embraced Tenko's hips beautifully. 

It looked quite adorable, and so did Tenko while wearing it, shyly curling up her toes. It really fit her girly aesthetic. Akamatsu told her as much, with straightforward sincerity, causing her to squeak and cover her blushing face – which was even more endearing, of course.

Tenko squeezed Akamatsu's hands gratefully before returning to the pool, ready to take her first dip. She skipped while she walked, clearly excited by her newfound confidence in her body. Akamatsu herself, meanwhile, went on her way after a while. She hoped that Tenko would be willing to join them at the pool the next time as well, after getting into the pool on her own terms now.

For now, she decided to go to the music room. She hadn't played the piano in a while, and she missed it dearly, especially since she had a song idea in her head, inspired by the recent death of Harukawa Maki, and the much less recent death and will of Shinguuji Korekiyo.

She sat down by the piano, neglecting to close the door. A part of her hoped that the music would reach everyone and boost their morale. Her fingers touched the keys as her eyes squeezed shut. A rhythmical melody in minor key filled the room.

Her vision from what felt like ages ago returned. All her dead friends, sitting and listening to her song. There were so many of them now, since Momota and Harukawa joined them. The former was on the edge of his seat, leaning forward with awe in his eyes. He readied his hands to clap as soon as the song would be over. The latter, meanwhile, wasn't looking in Akamatsu's direction, instead staring down at her feet, biting the inside of her cheek.

The melody continued on, now in major key. Akamatsu didn't even notice when the mood of it changed, she simply let her hands keep playing the song. She began to hum softly, as a placeholder for the lyrics that weren't coming to her. One day, she would finish the song. She was sure of it. Even if she wouldn't be able to finish it before they escaped.

In a way, wouldn't it be fitting? Once she managed to make it out, she would finish the song as a tribute to those who fell and never got to join her in the outside world – whatever awaited there. 

A song for the dead.

Life's a study of dying  
How to do it right...

Akamatsu quit playing and opened her eyes, because she felt a presence in the room. She definitely heard somebody step in.

Kiibo. He was standing around about a foot away, watching her play with intense fascination. He seemed somewhat flustered once she noticed him, taking a step back. As if he was caught doing something wrong...

'Hey, Kiibo-kun! I was hoping I'd summon you over here,' she joked. That wasn't a lie. Kiibo did seem interested in her music, and she was going to look for him anyway. 'I haven't seen you all day. Have you been okay?' she asked, looking into his eyes.

'Oh, yes! I have been helping Iruma-san, as always. She has been preparing something big, she says. I don't quite understand it, though.'

'Oh, yeah, she did tell me about that,' Akamatsu recalled. 'She's probably too busy to relax at the pool later today, huh...'

She could have sworn Kiibo's body stiffened. 'I am afraid not, but I can ask her if you would want me to, Akamatsu-san,' he offered.

'I'd appreciate that, but for now I kinda want to hang out with you while you're here. Say, you like music, don't you?' she teased, gesturing at him to sit next to her. He reluctantly obliged, giving her a shy smile.

'I am fascinated by music, I admit,' he said, nodding his head.

'Than I have something just for you!' she chirped, taking high-end headphones out of her backpack and handing them to him. 'They really let you hear all the nuances in music. It's amazing!'

Kiibo looked up at her with gratitude. 'Thank you so much, Akamatsu-san! I will definitely find a good use for them.' He paused, looking down at his hands. 'Actually, since we are on this topic, I can finally tell you what I failed to last time. I am not sure if you remember that, since it has been a while.'

She didn't. Rather, she only remembered vaguely. So many other things happened in the meantime that Kiibo's secret had completely escaped her mind. 'Well, feel free to tell me anything you want. I promise that I won't laugh at you, no matter what it is.'

'I have been talking to Chabashira-san, and she explained something that I took interest in, but could not ask her for any more help, since I had assumed it is more of your domain,' Kiibo said, fiddling with the headphones. 'In short, I have taken an interest in idols, Akamatsu-san, and wanted to ask for your help in pursuing that career, if you are able and willing.'

Akamatsu blinked. She should have seen that coming once Tenko was mentioned. She did mention loving performers, after all. But, Kiibo...

'Wait, hold on. You're interested in...becoming an idol?' she confirmed, eyeing him curiously. 'Not just learning about them and stuff like that? Is that what you mean?'

Kiibo nodded, smiling enthusiastically yet shyly. 'Indeed, that is the case! It seems like a rather interesting occupation, and hearing Chabashira-san talk about it reminded me of something you have said, as I recall.'

'Oh?' Akamatsu searched her brain for anything she had said that might have been relevant to the conversation.

'You said that the reason why you enjoy performing is that it makes your audience smile, yes? Well, I saw that talking about idols makes Chabashira-san very happy, and I made the connection in my head. It appears that your goal and the idols' is the same...and I could see myself having a similar goal myself. I feel inspired by musicians, and I would be interested in trying my hand at being one...even though it might seem like a silly dream for a robot to have.'

'I don't think it's silly at all,' Akamatsu assured with a wide smile. She had to admit that she was moved by that speech. It was very sincere, and she was happy to see that he shared her ideals. 'Um, I think there are idols who are robots,' she added, recalling that, 'so it's not a farfetched dream at all! You would have to ask Shirogane-san about that, though. I'm pretty sure she's a fan.'

Kiibo's eyes widened and sparkled. 'Is that so? I was not aware! I will definitely have to look into that, then. I would love to lend my voice in order to make people happy. My purpose is to help humans, and that seems like a great way to do it,' he 

'Do you like singing, Kiibo-kun?' Akamatsu asked gently, looking into his eyes.. Kiibo looked down briefly and then back at her, somewhat flustered.

'Truthfully, I have never tried. There was no opportunity. That is, partially, why I came to you, Akamatsu-san,' he explained patiently.

Akamatsu understood immediately. 'Oh, you want me to play something so you could sing? That makes sense, I guess. It's easier to sing with background music. But...' she said hesitantly, 'I don't really know any pop songs. I'm kind of out of the loop. I don't know anything about popular idols and their music.'

'I expected as much, Akamatsu-san!' Kiibo assured, pounding his chest with his fist. 'You see, that makes two of us. I do not know any songs at all! The only music I am familiar with is what I heard you play. Therefore, I am not picky. You could call me a blank slate. Basically, I believe that you could play anything and teach me the words for now. I wouldn't have asked you for help if I was not alright with that.'

Akamatsu pondered that, looking into his excited face. She definitely couldn't say no to that. Indeed, it wasn't the worst situatiion. If he just wanted to practice...

She started playing the piano and humming. He watched carefully and tried to hum as well. What came out was an interesting metallic sound...at least it was something, she mused.

'It's important to warm up before you sing,' she advised cheerfully, still playing. Kiibo nodded, holding the note. Akamatsu remembered that he didn't have to breathe. Perhaps he was born to be a singer! 'Alright now for more warming up! It's really easy, just repeat after me, okay?' She cleared her throat. 'Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do~' she sang. Most of the time, she only hummed while playing, but she did enjoy singing as well. Her voice had a warm, husky quality to it that gave her singing a unique sound.

'Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do~' Kiibo repeated. Akamatsu had just noticed that she rather enjoyed the sound of his voice. He definitely wasn't made to be a singer – his singing voice sounded a bit strained and less natural than his talking voice. It wasn't weird enough to discourage her from helping him pursue his dream, though. He just had to practice, is all.

'You're doing great!' she assured. 

They continued practicing for about twenty more minutes. It was hard to tell if he was making any progress, but he was definitely gaining confidence – and that probably mattered infinitely more in the long run.

'I think we're good for now,' Akamatsu decided, looking at him cheerfully. 'This was fun. We should try again sometime! You'll definitely become an idol once we get out of here!'

Kiibo gave her a grateful smile. 'Thank you for helping me, Akamatsu-san! I have to go now, but we should definitely practice again if you want.'

'We will!' Akamatsu assured, waving at him as he left.

She was alone again. She looked down at the piano, stroking the keys.

Music not only made people happy. It was even able to make a robot happy. There was something magical about that, and she was happy to be a part of it, more than ever before. The piano, she firmly believed, could help anybody feel better.

She got up from her seat.

There was still one more thing she wanted to check out, and one more person to talk to. There was no time to waste.

Akamatsu headed downstairs to the basement. She wanted to take another look at the mysterious door at the end of the hall. Even if she couldn't open it, perhaps she could still find something…

'Ah, Akamatsu-san!' Shirogane's voice called out to her from the dimly lit hall, startling her.

'Oh, Shirogane-san. I didn't notice you there,' Akamatsu said sheepishly, looking her over nervously. The cosplayer really didn't have much of a presence…when did she get there? And from which direction? It wasn't good to sneak up on people…

'Sorry, sorry!' Shirogane apologised, sweating nervously. 'I've been spending a lot of time at the casino. Some of the designs in these games…they make me want to cosplay them!' she confessed, hugging herself. 'But, but! I also remembered what you said earlier about this door…so I came to investigate, but you were already here! Do you think that the exit is behind this door?'

Akamatsu was amazed by the fact Shirogane could seemingly talk non-stop. 'I think it might be. It probably is. Where else would it be?' she said with growing confidence. 'I'm glad to see you here, anyway, because I have something for you!' she added, taking something out of her backpack. It was a Japanese doll wig that she handed Shirogane before she could hesitate.

'Oh, my! Thank you so much!' Shirogane exclaimed. 'This will definitely come in useful! It's beautiful!'

'There's another reason why I'm glad we met here. I wanted to talk to you about something,' Akamatsu admitted, making a serious expression.

Shirogane gasped. 'Akamatsu-san, is this what I think it is? You want to talk to me about something, and you're making this face… Could it be…that you've become interested in cosplay?!' she exclaimed, breathing heavily.

'H-huh?' Akamatsu's face dropped. She was caught off guard by that assumption. Was…was her tone really this easy to misunderstand? It might be Shirogane's one track mind that's at fault here…

'I mean, you definitely don't want to talk about me, do you? There is nothing to talk about here...and I'm fine with that. I put my cosplay first anyway, you know? People who don't do that…they sicken me. Anywho, what did you want to talk about? I'll tell you anything as long as it's not a secret. I'll even tell you what kind of underwear I wear, even though that's not interesting at all! It's white and plain!'

'Underwear…?' Akamatsu blinked in confusion. 'Well, I'm not sure what I could even ask about cosplay… I just know it seems like a lot of work to prepare the whole outfit yourself. It must take days.'

'I've been making patterns before sleep. It does take a while, but it's so much fun… ItsIt's really fulfilling. Of course, designing a whole outfit is going to take some time, but as long as you have fun with it, you won't be bothered by that at all!' Shirogane explained. 'Of course, some people don't so much have fun with it, as they feel like they need to push themselves to achieve perfection,' she added with a sigh.

'Oh, that makes sense. They want their outfits to be as accurate as possible, so they put a lot of effort in. Right?'

'That's right. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that effort is wrong, or that perfection is a bad goal. But many people lose themselves in that, and they end up looking down on those who just have fun. I can't stand for that!' she cried out, clenching her fists. Akamatsu was surprised to hear her get this loud and intense.

'I think it's like that with all forms of art. People take something that should be fun and bring joy, and they turn it into a competition,' Akamatsu mused, reflecting back on her own career. 'Winning makes you feel all warm inside, and everyone likes to be praised…but once you turn it into bullying those who aren't as good or serious, I think that means you forgot what the point was.'

'Ah, you get it!' Shirogane was relieved. 'It gets especially bad with cosplay, I think. Since the comparisons are really easy to make, and you meet so many people that you end up making them constantly. I wish that we could all simply inspire each other without the atmosphere getting so ugly!' she hugged herself. 'I'm so glad to see that you're someone who understands, Akamatsu-san! I never expected to find a kindred spirit in a place like this. Now I can picture you cosplaying a certain heroine, yes, yes…you're just like her. I'll get on it as soon as this conversation is over.'

'Wait. You want to make cosplay for me?' Akamatsu was floored. 'I never agreed to that! Then again, maybe it wouldn't hurt to try it just once. Maybe I would like it. It's not like I don't like dressing up…'

'That's the spirit! I'm sure you will love it, Akamatsu-san, I can see it in your eyes!' Shirogane trailed on about how Akamatsu was born to be a cosplayer, and how the community needs more people with her attitude.

'Ah, but there's another thing I wanted to ask about. I don't think anybody else could know what I'm talking about,' Akamatsu interrupted her suddenly, remembering why she was looking for Shirogane to begin with. 'If even you won't know, that means there's no hope left for me,' she said, hoping that Shirogane would appreciate the dramatic tone.

'A-ah, that sounds serious!' Shirogane looked concerned, sweating profusely. 'I will help you as best as I can, obviously! Throw it at me! We're partners, after all!'

'Well…' Akamatsu started slowly. 'I've been having this sense of deja vu lately. I feel like our situation is reminding me of something I've read in a book, or maybe seen in a movie…but I can't remember the title at all. I thought that since you know way more about fictional stuff than I do, you'd be able to help me. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?'

Shirogane knit her eyebrows, focused on the task. 'What are the things that you do remember? It might be helpful. I'm more knowledgeable about light novels, anime and manga than movies and novels, but obviously there are some that I'm familiar with.'

'I'm pretty sure it took place on an island. The killing game in that story was carried out by the government, I think…that's mostly what I remember from it.' She decided to save the megaphone detail for later, since she wasn't so sure about it.

Shirogane stared at her with a blank expression. 'That…sounds familiar… I should be able to remember…but I don't,' she whispered, sweating profusely. Her face went pale with worry and the futile efforts to remember. 'Eugh. Now it will be bothering me… I promise I'll try to remember and tell you as soon as I do! We can solve this together!' Shirogane declared with a passionate expression.

'Th-thanks,' Akamatsu stuttered. She appreciated the enthusiasm, even if it would have no tangible results.

So…

She wasn't the only one who couldn't remember…it was at the tip of her tongue, and yet…

It was all very bizarre, and seemed progressively more significant. Or maybe it was just a coincidence…she couldn't get ahead of herself

Everything in this game could have been nothing but a coincidence, designed to make her come to the wrong conclusions.

…But, all things considered, memory loss was always something to worry about. After all, it was specifically designed to conceal certain things.

Akamatsu shook all these thoughts off for now. She said goodbye to Shirogane, who headed upstairs to start designing her future cosplay that she was already incredibly excited about - much more than Akamatsu herself would ever be, but didn't have the heart to tell her so. The two of them once again promised to inform each other if they saw anything suspicious or remembered anything.

Once Shirogane left, Akamatsu stared at the door again for a bit. There was nothing she could do to it…so she had to wait. Monokuma did promise that he would let them in as soon as possible…but when would that be? She hated to be in this position…she really truly did.

Akamatsu knit her eyebrows and slowly walked down the hall and up the stairs. She felt extremely exhausted for some reason. More than that, thought, she felt oddly lonely, despite having talked to so many people just a moment ago. Was it because everyone seemed so distant? Especially Iruma, whom she hadn't seen ever since she confessed her feelings into her chest. She hoped that the inventor was okay, but she didn't want to interrupt her…

…She just had to trust that Iruma was inventing something that would help them escape. Maybe their conversation inspired her? After all, nobody else was equipped to do that.

Her head filled with these thoughts, Akamatsu let her feet take her forward until they paused in front of the cafeteria. That was when her stomach growled.

It was time for a snack and a cup of tea, she figured. It was late in the afternoon already, but still quite a few hours away from nighttime. Just the right time to have dinner. Maybe she would run into someone there, too.

Disappointingly, she didn't find anybody in the cafeteria. There were so few of them left, and so much of the school available to explore, that everybody could go hours without seeing each other, she mused. It was quite depressing. She was starting to miss the beginning of the killing game, before anybody died…only two floors were available, so all sixteen of the students would keep running into each other, whether they wanted to or not. And the threat of the game hadn't set in yet, because everybody was alive and well.

The atmosphere didn't change until Saihara was found unconscious on the floor. That was the first step towards the paranoia and distrust that spread throughout the group, solidified by Gonta's death.

(Akamatsu prepared tea and grabbed a box of crackers.)

Iruma told her that she had the wrong idea about Saihara's incident. What could she have possibly meant? What even was the idea that Akamatsu had about it? Back then, she might have assumed that Saihara discovered something and the mastermind decided to get rid of him. But, thinking back, that might not have made that much sense…because if they wanted that, wouldn't they have just killed him?

After Toujou’s crime was discovered, she might have thought that Toujou was the one who injured him and then finally murdered him when he was helpless. But, that didn't make much sense, either. By the time Saihara was attacked, Toujou didn't have a motive. And knowing her, she would have done it differently.

Then, what was the truth? Iruma seemed to know, but how did she know? Did she see something? Or hear something? Why did she tell Akamatsu now of all times? It had been so long...

She was starting to feel her thoughts trail off. Her head felt heavy all of a sudden,as if someone had poured concrete into her skull.

Was she just sleepy? At this time of the day? That had never happened before, but maybe…it was just exhaustion…

Where was she, anyway? Right, Iruma. What was Iruma doing right now? She was probably in the warehouse, as always…

Akamatsu inhaled sharply. Something was pulsating in her temples, making it harder and harder to concentrate. Her ears were ringing. It was getting difficult to move her jaw in order to chew. Maybe she really was just sleepy…she should get up and go to bed…

That's when everything went dark, and Akamatsu lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We back! I'm sick but I got this done woot woot.
> 
> Free Time Event galore! Gosh I sure wonder what happened with Akamatsu at the end here.


	48. Chapter 5: Investigation (?)

When Akamatsu Kaede regained consciousness and slowly opened her eyes, at first she thought that she had lost her eyesight, and then she felt intense pain in her spine. The latter fact at least told her that she was, in fact, still alive – but at what cost?

Upon closer inspection (and letting her eyes get used to her surroundings), it turned out that her eyesight was just fine. She was just lying on the floor of the cafeteria – presumably that was the reason why her spine was in such pain; she must have fallen off the chair she clearly remembered sitting on – in pitch darkness. Perhaps that wasn't entirely accurate. Now that her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could tell apart the objects in the cafeteria.

She slowly up from the floor and sat up in the chair, rubbing the nape of her neck. Her hip hurt as well, probably because she had been lying on it for a while.

Her eyes widened in fear as she gasped under her breath.

A while. How long has it been, exactly? How long was she asleep for?! Considering how dark it was, there was a real possibility that it was already nighttime...

Which would mean-!

She frantically got up from her seat and ran towards the door, nearly tripping over her feet. Her heart was about to beat right out of her chest...! At least it sure felt like it!

The door wasn't locked. She could leave at any moment if she wanted. That was a relief, but it still didn't explain why everything was dark around her. Could it be...

Akamatsu started carefully running her hand over the wall. It had to be somewhere...! Where...?

Finally, her hand felt something and paused. The light switch. Exactly what she was hoping to find. She flicked it, preemptively closing her eyes in case the lights would blind her.

...But they didn't. Indeed, the room stayed in complete darkness. She flicked the switch back, and nothing changed still. So, this must be a power outage. Is...is the entire school out?

That suspicion was confirmed once she stepped out of the cafeteria. The hall was also dark. Undeniably, the power was out.

That, however, still didn't explain why she had lost consciousness for what must have been at least two hours or so, judging by the darkness and the fact that the door wasn't closed yet.

...Or, was it not locked because the power was out? She had no idea how any of that worked, but it was possible that whatever locked the door was powered by elecricity.

...But, regardless of that, why did she lose consciousness?! That was the question! The last thing she remembered was getting sleepy all of a sudden. A headache and then just...everything went dark. Now she was starting to wonder if the darkness was due to her losing consciousness, or if she caught a glimpse of the power going out.

In any case, something was going on. She opened her backpack (thank goodness that she still had it with her!) and took out her student ID. It booted up no problem. She wasn't sure how it worked, but it's not like she ever had to charge the batteries, so it was probably going to work as normal – and be her flashlight, as well.

ID in hand, Akamatsu left the cafeteria. She had to decide what to focus on first – should she make sure that everyone else is safe, or check the generator room and try to turn the power back on? In the end, she decided to get help first. Her ineptitude when it came to electronics and such things would probably not be of much help, she figured.

First, she headed towards the dorms. The chance that people were inside when the outage happened was slim, but still worth checking out.

Ding-dong. She rang the doorbells of everybody in a row. There was no answer until she got to Hoshi's door. She heard the doorknob turn and the door opened slowly. Hoshi looked up at her curiously, squinting his eyes because of the light from her student ID.

'Akamatsu. Did something happen?' he asked, noticing her worried expression. 'I was taking a nap. Sorry if I didn't hear you earlier. As you can see, somehow I'm still alive,' he joked, trying to lighten the mood. 'What time...is it?' he then asked.

'Oh. You were asleep? So you didn't notice the blackout?' Akamatsu asked, peeking inside his room. It was just as dark as the rest of the school. 'Also, um, I don't know what time it is at all. Because of the outage...'

Hoshi's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but his face remained serious. 'Outage, huh? Akamatsu, can you explain it to me from the start? Deep breaths,' he instructed gently, seeing that she was still stressed. 'Do you want to sit down? I can't turn the light on,' he said apologetically, flicking the switch futilely, 'but you seem like you might pass out at any moment.'

'I already did,' Akamatsu confessed. 'But, we have no time to sit around! We have to make sure that everyboody is safe! I'll explain it to you on the way!' she insisted, pacing in place.

Hoshi blinked slowly. 'Maybe you're right. You already checked the dorms, I assume.'

'I did. Nobody but you answered. That's why we have to look around! The same thing that happened to me probably happened to them. They may be anywhere!' she cried frantically, looking at him with a silent request in her eyes.

Hoshi nodded. He closed his door and paused next to her. 'You sure are hotheaded...but I have no reason not to come with you. We should especially try to find Iruma. She might be able to fix the power. Now,' he added, walking slowly down the hall, 'tell me what happened.'

Akamatsu explained as best as she could, from the moment she fainted to the moment she rang his doorbell. Hoshi listened carefully, looking around the dark hall. He opened the door to the school store, just in case they'd find somebody there.

...And indeed, they did. Somebody was lying by the door, groaning. They must have woken up moment earlier. When Akamatsu shone the light from the student ID on the body, it turned out to be Shirogane. She slowly got up to her knees and looked up at the two of them, rubbing her temple.

'Shirogane-san!' Akamatsu exclaimed, running up to her and helping her up, careful not to hurt her. 'What happened? Are you okay?'

Shirogane gave her a scared and confused look. 'I was just...trying to pick something to get from the vending machine...when I got dizzy and fell... Everything went dark...and I just woke up n-now!' Her body shivered against Akamatsu's when she helped her up. She seemed really terrified, and Akamatsu couldn't blame her.

'So, it's the same as what happened to me,' she whispered. Hoshi nodded, looking at both of them with growing concern. 'That means it wasn't just the cafeteria...and the others are probably waking up as we speak. They must be so freaked out,' Akamatsu mused.

'Oh, um, by the way...' Shirogane muttered, squinting, 'why is it so dark? Is it that late? I-I must have been unconscious for hours...'

'We're having a power outage,' Hoshi explained, not looking at her. 'We think the whole school's affected, but we only checked this floor.'

Shirogane opened and closed her mouth in shock. Her eyebrows rode up her forehead. 'Oh,' she said finally. 'Do you think...this is the mastermind's doing?' she suggested with a serious expression.

'Huh?' Akamatsu hadn't really thought about the causes before that moment. 'I'm not sure... I have no idea what it would accomplish, but...the fact we lost consciousness suggests that the mastermind might be involved.'

'...I didn't, though,' Hoshi chimed in. 'I took a nap, but that's different. And I don't think it happened at the same moment. Very interesting...' he muttered.

'I guess we won't know until we find everyybody else and ask them about their experiences,' Akamatsu decided. 'Shirogane-san, can you walk?' she asked, seeing that she was still clinging onto her shoulder.

'O-oh, I'm fine!' Shirogane assured, chuckling nervously. 'We should head out and look for the others. Let's stick together for now.'

'Good idea,' Akamatsu said, nodding. 'It's better to stay together until we find Iruma-san and ask her to fix the power.'

Shirogane and Hoshi nodded, and the three of them headed out. Almost immediately, they ran into Chabashira Tenko, who seemed to be in a state of shock.

'Tenko-san!' Akamatsu exclaimed in relief as Tenko essentially fell into her arms. They shared a quick hug. 'I'm so relieved to see you. Now half of the group is confirmed to be safe! Are you okay?' Akamatsu asked, looking into Tenko's shifting eyes.

'Tenko is fine... She was training in the gym when suddenly she felt dizzy and couldn't breathe well. She fainted before she could leave the gym! And when she woke up, everything was dark!' she explained frantically, gesticulating wildly. The other three watched her with sympathy. 'She got scared, assuming that she got locked in the gym for the night! ...But, the door was actually unlocked, so she left, and then she noticed the light and ran towards it. She's happy to be reunited with everyone,' she paused and corrected herself, 'or rather, with half of our group...but she's still very very confused,' she finished, finally taking a deep breath. Akamatsu squeezed her hand supportively.

'Seems like myself, Shirogane-san and Tenko-san all had a similar experience. I wonder what that means...' Akamatsu whispered under her breath. 'Now we have to find Ouma-kun, Iruma-san, and Kiibo-kun. While I have no idea where Ouma-kun could be, the other two are likely to be in the warehouse. Hoshi-kun, any guesses as to the whereabouts of Ouma-kun?' she asked suddenly.

Hoshi was startled, but he quickly regained his composure. 'Akamatsu, I'm not his babysitter. I have no clue where he wanders off to. Actually,' he added calmly, 'I'm not sure if there's a point in looking for him now. He should be awake too. He will find us if he wants.'

Akamatsu was going to protest at the heartless suggestion, but decided against it once she looked into Hoshi's eyes. They weren't uncaring. Moreso, they were...confident.

'We should still look for the others. At least check in the warehouse,' she insisted. 'Iruma-san likes to isolate herself so she might not be as eager to look for us.'

'That's true,' Shirogane mused, 'but there's something I'm wondering about...'

'Hmm?' Akamatsu hummed curiously.

'Do you think Kiibo-kun...could have fainted, too?' Shirogane asked, knitting her eyebrows. 'I don't know what made us all unconscious, but it probably wouldn't affect Kiibo-kun...right?'

Akamatsu considered the question. Kiibo's body worked differently from theirs. Whatever knocked them out probably wouldn't work on him...but maybe somebody turned him off along with them, somehow? Ah, questions, questions...! They would remain unanswered until they find the others and turn the lights on...

'If that's the case, he probably guarded Iruma-san's body until she woke up. There's no time to waste, let's go to the warehouse!' Akamatsu decided, leading the way. Everyone followed her, partially out of the sense of security she and the light from the student ID provided.

Finally, after checking the library, bio lab, and nurse's office on the way, they reached the warehouse with their hearts beating fast in unison.

...It was empty. Akamatsu shone the light in every corner, calling out the names of not only Iruma and Kiibo, but Ouma as well. Nobody responded, not even from behind the metal curtain Iruma had set up, which was still perfectly intact.

...None of them were here. That was for sure. Nobody would be this good at hiding. She doubted they were behind that curtain. They would have come out upon hearing her voice...or at least told her to go away. She could perfectly imagine Iruma's voice telling her off.

...But it didn't. So all three of them were somewhere else. But where...? Think, Akamatsu, think!

'They're not here,' she stated the obvious. 'There's one more place we haven't checked out on this floor. Let's go there first, and then we might have to split,' she said firmly, going back into the hall. The others followed her automatically. Like moths attracted to the light...

Akamatsu went into the gym. In the total darkness and silence, it suddenly made her uneasy – like a completely foreign, unwelcoming place. She felt frightened for some reason. Keep yourself together!

She stopped in front of the changing rooms. She doubted that any of the missing classmates would have gone to the pool, but something told her to check. After all, she did invite Iruma there with Kiibo's help, even though she didn't share any details...

'Hoshi-kun, as the only guy here, can you check the boys' changing room? We'll meet at the pool and compare findings,' she said, smiling at him. Hoshi nodded and smiled back.

'Right on. Hopefully we don't find anything too bad, huh?' he mused, taking his student ID out of his pocket. Akamatsu bit her bottom lip at those words.

So...they both had a bad feeling about this, huh? She touched the doorknob and felt one of the girls grab her other hand. She squeezed back reflexively. It was nice to feel like she wasn't alone. She wished that Hoshi wouldn't have to go in by himself...

They opened the doors at the same time.

Akamatsu was relieved to immediately see that there were no dead bodies in the changing room...but, on the other hand, Iruma was also not there. It didn't seem like anybody had entered the area after Tenko's swim in the early afternoon.

Regardless, the three girls examined the changing room thoroughly, using Akamatsu's ID as a light source.

'I don't think...we're finding anything...' Shirogane mused, sweating nervously. She had just checked if Iruma wasn't hiding in her locker (she wasn't). 'M-maybe...we should check with Hoshi-kun? He's probably waiting for us already...'

'I agree,' Akamatsu said with a sigh. 'We're probably keeping him waiting. Let's go.'

The girls headed towards the pool. Indeed, once they left the changing room it turned out that Hoshi was already waiting for them, tapping his foot. He seemed kind of pale, Akamatsu noticed once she looked into his face properly.

'I was starting to worry about you,' he said, looking at the girls. 'Considered barging in, but I figured it wasn't worth risking Chabashira killing me.'

Tenko smiled faintly. Akamatsu couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else behind his pale, uneasy expression. 'Did you...find anything?' she asked slowly, as if to put off hearing the answer. He seemed to share that sentiment, as his expression dropped immediately.

'Getting right to it, huh? I take it that you found nothing,' he said with forced nonchalance. 'Did I find anything?' He heaved a sigh. 'Boy, did I ever. I hope that it won't be there anymore once I go back in there, but I know that won't be the case. I hoped I could stall some more...'

Akamatsu's blood froze. 'What...did you find?' she asked in a husky whisper. She felt Shirogane clinging onto her arm.

'See for yourself. You have my full permission to enter the boys' changing room. Even you, Chabashira. Don't worry, you won't catch any guy germs from there.' He tried to conceal his uneasiness with humour, but Akamatsu could still tell that he found something nobody would want to see.

...There weren't many options. In fact, she had a one in three chance of guessing.

Akamatsu inhaled sharply and swiftly opened the door, just to get it over with as soon as possible.

...What she didn't know was that opening the door wasn't the end. It was merely the beginning.

She realised that once her eyes fell on the remains of Kiibo lying in the middle of the room.

***

Akamatsu felt the pulsating sensation in her temples again as she tried to process the sight in front of her. Shirogane and Tenko peeked over her shoulder, gasping and shrieking in terror. Hoshi stayed back, looking towards the pool. She couldn't blame him, really. He ran into that scene without a warning.

Kiibo's stomach was cut, splitting his body in half. There was no light in his eyes. The murder (if that's what it would be called...) weapon seemed to be a blade that was lying next to him. That was all Akamatsu noticed in her fatigued state.

'Huh...?' Shirogane tilted her head, suddenly realising something. 'U-um, guys? Is that just me, or is there something off here?'

'Of course there's something off,' Akamatsu snapped sarcastically, 'there was a murder! That's off!'

'I-I mean,' Shirogane stuttered nervously, 'that's true, but...t-there's no...body discovery announcement...'

Akamatsu's eyes widened. That was true. The school remained in dead silence, despite the fact that four people had already found the body. Did that mean that Kiibo didn't count as a participant in the killing game after all? No, that didn't seem right...he had been treated as a participant until then, able to vote in the trials, receiving Monokuma Files and so on. He was an equal. Then...

'It's probably because of the power outage,' Hoshi pointed out from behind their back. 'The surveillance system, as well as the announcement system, is definitely powered by electricity. We're completely cut off from that.'

'B-but...does that mean we are not going to investigate Kiibo-san's death?' Tenko asked, pounding her chest passionately. 'We must! Even if we do not receive information from Monokuma, as long as we know of a classmate's death, we cannot ignore it!'

'I agree with that,' Akamatsu said firmly. 'We owe that to Kiibo-kun. We should also still try to find Ouma-kun and Iruma-san and restore the power. That's a lot of work for only four people, but it's the right thing to do.'

'One of us should stay here and guard the body,' Hoshi remarked, 'and I think it should be you, Akamatsu. Investigate what you can, we'll gather here once we find Ouma and Iruma...or their bodies. Hopefully not, of course.'

Akamatsu didn't have the heart to scold him. After all, he loved Ouma...to joke like that was a sign of strength, if anything. She nodded. 'I won't move from this area. Everybody have their IDs?'

The other three nodded. That was a relief. It would be terrible if somebody was left without a light source. Akamatsu rubbed her temples, humming softly.

'Okay. Let's decide who goes where, just so we know where to look in case something happens.'

'I'll check the warehouse again and then go to the basement,' Shirogane offered with a determined expression. 'M-maybe we just missed Iruma-san when we went there...and somebody needs to check on the generator anyway. Might as well be plain ol' me...'

Hoshi nodded. 'I'll go onto the third floor. There are a lot of places to hide there. Maybe I will find a clue. Chabashira, do you want to take the other floors? I can join you on the fourth floor.'

'That sounds fine by Tenko... It will be easy to find each other. And Tenko is sure that we can trust Akamatsu-san with the body!'

'Please put your trust in me!' Akamatsu insisted, pumping her fists. 'I will do my best over here!'

'Okay!' Shirogane said, walking towards the door. 'I'm going to get going. Who knows what I'll find in the generator room,' she said with a sigh, and left.

Hoshi walked up too Akamatsu. He gestured at her to lean towards him. She obliged.

'Do you have Ouma's file with you?' he whispered into her ear. When she nodded, he added: 'You should read it while you're by yourself. I think this situation counts as something happening to him.'

'Do you think he's safe?' she whispered back with concern. Hoshi smiled warmly.

'I know it,' he said. 'Now keep your chin up and do your best. Chabashira, let's get going. We have a lot of ground to cover.'

***

INVESTIGATION: START?

Once she was alone, Akamatsu knelt next to the body to examine it properly. It would be easier if she knew the first thing about robotics...or technology in general. Even then, she could still tell that the clean cut that separated his body into two halves must have been made by the blade lying next to him.

What...was that blade, anyway...?

She had never seen it before. Not even in the toolbox where the sickle was found. Its design was too unique to forget. It must have been custom-made by somebody. She had an idea of who it could be, but it was also the person she absolutely couldn't imagine using it on Kiibo like this.

Iruma. Iruma could have invented this blade. Akamatsu had no doubts about that. The handle had an unmistakeably phallic shape, and there was something indescribable about it that convinced her the golden girl genius was responsible.

...And now she had disappeared.

Akamatsu shook her head. There was no point in suspecting her, or anybody, at this point of the investigation. She had to focus on tangible facts, and ask questions once the others come back safely. For now, it seemed like the blade had to be the 'murder weapon'. Kiibo had no other injuries she could notice, anyway. Just to make sure, she pressed the button on the back of his neck, looking into his dead eyes with hope.

Obviously, that did nothing. He was out. She couldn't do anything to wake him up, or fix his wound. Wires and cables, torn by the blade, were sticking out of him like intestines...it was quite disturbing.

Once she was sure that there was nothing else to investigate regarding the body, she sat back and took Ouma's envelope out of her pocket. It took some trial and error to figure out how to position herself comfortably and be able to shine the light on the paper. She was still going to have to strain her eyes, but there was no other choice. Curiosity got the better of her, and there would probably be no better moment to read it before the trial.

As she took the file out of the envelope, her heart beat fast. There was no telling what she was going to find out. There was a sticky note attached to the folded file. It was...probably a note from Ouma himself. She detached it and took a closer look, deciding to leave the file proper for later. Knowing what they usually contained, she was eager to put it off.

_'Hey, Akamatsu-chan!'_

That was how the note, written in red crayon, opened. It seemed innocent enough. She could definitely read it in his voice. Having braced herself, she proceeded to read.

_'If you're reading this, something must have happened to me. Unless you broke our promise and just read it for no reason! But, if it's not that, I either disappeared, or I'm dead!'_

Akamatsu paused to take a deep breath. How could he write that so casually...!

_'Good news: unless you found my body, I'm probably not dead! There's, like, a 99% chance! I'm sure you were soooo worried until I said that, huh? Nishishi, so predictable!'_

Akamatsu clicked her tongue. How could she ever worry about him...

_'Anywaysies, I just wanted to tell you that it's fine. Maybe I'll even find your stupid exit while I'm gone? Who knows! Now quit stalling and read the stupid file! You will probably be super super shocked by all the things I lied about! Why did I give it to you? That's a sweet secret I might take to the grave. Or not! Maybe I'll tell you if I survive? Nishishi!'_

There was a doodle of Ouma on the other side of the sticky note, throwing a peace sign and sticking his tongue out. It was too endearing for Akamatsu to stay annoyed at the vague tone of the note – or nervous about reading the file. She stuck the note back in the envelope and grabbed the file instead. Heaving a sigh, she mentally prepared to read it in one go. Finally, she opened it.

_'Ouma Kokichi, known as the Super High School Level Supreme Leader, actually has an entirely different talent. While he shows certain leadership skills, it would be more accurate to call him a Super High School Level Clown._

_His family is unknown and untraceable. He spent most of his childhood in an orphanage, where he had developed his lying skills, as well as his leadership skills. The two went hand in hand. His story about leading a secret evil organisation can be traced back to his teenage years. He actually did manage to gather a group of similrly-aged children to follow his lead and escape the orphanage._

_Another noteworthy detail from that phase of his life is his sense of identity. It appears that he insisted on being called Ouma Kokichi and referred to as a boy around that time, and all of his followers never knew him under any other identity._

_Going back in time to before he started living in the orphanage, it appears that he was brought up in a circus. That is where he learned everything related to his talent as a clown._

_After his great escape from the orphanage, around the age of sixteen, it became harder to track him in reliable ways. It appears that he and his followers lived together somewhere as a found family of sorts. Ouma himself went back to his roots and started performing in a circus as a clown. However, that was not the only means of supporting his so-called organisation._

_He, as well as the other members, engaged in petty crime, such as vandalism, pickpocketing, and shoplifting. They never stayed in one place for too long because of that, as well as Ouma's job as a circus clown. Despite being a criminal group, the organisation, now called DICE, had one sacred rule that they swore to never break: murder wasn't allowed. Ouma condemned it wholeheartedly._

_His talent as a clown caught the attention of a certain prestigious school around the time he turned 18. It appears that sometime before his enrolment there, he and his organisation gathered enough funds for his top surgery. While he attended school, it appears that the other members lived in the area and stayed in contact with him, but may have given up their criminal ways._

_His participation in the programme ('killing game') will serve to test Ouma's conviction in his anti-murder rule. It is bound to cause conflict between him and certain other participants.'_

Akamatsu read the file over a second time. She felt her heart drop.

It confirmed certain things that she had suspected, and others she was unsure about, such as the existence of a secret organisation. DICE, huh? She couldn't help but wonder if they were still alive and well. It seemed like they remained loyal to him through the years, and he never forgot about them, either, even if he had to make the organisation seem bigger and more dangerous than it was.

More importantly...that rule about murder being forbidden. In hindsight, it made perfect sense, she mused. Particularly the viciousness with which he exposed Toujou. Back then, she assumed that it was to blame on the fact that he himself was targetted and almost lost his life. But, perhaps there was more to that.

That aside...'bound to cause conflict between him and certain other participants,' as the file said. That line explained why Hoshi Ryouma was the one to originally receive the file, while Ouma received his. Hoshi, the murderer...and Ouma, the man whose one hard rule was being against murder. It made too much sense, in the most cruel way.

But then, she remembered they traded those files in the end. Hoshi insisted that they were fine. Perhaps...they decided to put that difference aside and continue to get along? It was something she could ask Hoshi about when he returned.

She also had to thank him for reminding her to read it. Now that she'd read Ouma's note, she was still as confused as ever, but much calmer. Didn't he mention trying to find an exit? All she could do was pray for his success...and for him to come back safely. Him and Iruma. Were they together, she wondered? She wished that he had mentioned that in the note...

She couldn't keep pondering that. Steps were approaching the door. It was definitely two people...but who exactly? Reflexively, she stuffed the file back into the envelope, and the envelope back into her pocket just in time before the door to the changing room opened.

'Akamatsu, how are you hanging on?' Hoshi's voice asked nonchalantly as he and Tenko entered the room. Akamatsu couldn't help but be disappointed that it was just the two of them, but relieved to see they were alright all the same.

'I'm good. I see you didn't...find either of them,' she remarked straightforwardly.

'Nope,' Hoshi confirmed, 'but we did find Monokuma.'

'Monokuma...?!' Akamatsu was surprised.

'Monokuma was in the principal's room,' Tenko informed. 'He was resting when we found him. How lazy!' she scoffed.

'My guess is that the power outage triggered some sort of an energy-saving mode,' Hoshi mused. 'I don't know the first thing about stuffed animal robots, but it seems plausible. In any case, we woke him up.'

'But you didn't bring him here,' Akamatsu noted, looking behind them, 'so where did he go?'

'He joined Shirogane-san in the basement!' Tenko informed nervously. 'He said that the generator has to be fixed, and he knows how to do it. It is more likely than any of us being able to do it, but Tenko couldn't help but be worried about leaving Shirogane-san alone with that wretched doll!' she spat. 'Hoshi-san insisted that it would be fine, though, and that we should prioritise updating you.'

'Monokuma can't hurt any of us unless we attack him first. Shirogane will be fine. She should come here soon. I'm sure of that. Believe in her a little, you two,' Hoshi said, noticing that Akamatsu's expression was that of mild worry.

'I hope you're right,' she said flatly. 'What else did you find? Tenko-san, you first.'

Tenko bowed her head. 'There was not much of note that Tenko noticed, but there are some chemicals missing from the Chemistry Lab. At least, it appears so, since there is a lot of free space in the cabinets. Tenko wouldn't be able to tell what was missing or the significance of it, though.'

'Chemicals...' Akamatsu muttered. That seemed significant, but none of them were familiar with the Chemistry Lab enough to know what was taken and how it could be used. Well, she could come up with a situation where someone most definitely used chemicals...the moment everybody passed out earlier. They might have inhaled something. But what...

'Otherwise, everything on the second floor seemed fine,' Tenko continued. 'Your piano remains unharmed, Kaede-san! As for the fourth floor, which we explored together, that's where we found Monokuma, of course, but we also discovered that the computers weren't responding anymore due to the power outage. That is all Tenko can remember.'

'As for me,' Hoshi chimed in, 'I also didn't find much. The only noteworthy detail I can think of is that not only are the cameras not working, they're also foggy.'

'Foggy...?' Akamatsu whispered, knitting her eyebrows.

'The lenses of the cameras have water on them. I didn't wipe them, of course. I tried not to touch anything just in case. I wonder how that happened,' he mused, looking Akamatsu in the eyes. 'What did you find, Akamatsu? Are the autopsy results in?' he asked with a smirk.

'I wish Iruma-san was with us, because I can't really figure out as much as I'd want to,' Akamatsu said with a sigh. 'I'm pretty sure that this is the murder weapon, but I have no idea where it came from. Do either of you recognise it?'

Both of the others shook their heads, eyeing the blade.

'That's what I thought,' Akamatsu muttered. 'Kiibo-kun's body was split in two by this sword-thing, in any case. It must be super sharp. I tried to turn him back on again, but obviously that didn't work.'

Hoshi eyed her curiously. 'Tried to turn him back on? Explain.'

'Oh, um, right!' She turned his top half over to show them the button on the back of Kiibo's neck. 'I accidentally stumbled upon this button once, and Kiibo-kun explained it to me...once I turned him back on! It's a safety measure in case he goes rogue or something, but it also works as a plain on/off switch. I guess I hoped that maybe at least his top half would turn on, and then he wouldn't count as dead...' she confessed, holding back tears.

The whole mess with the power outage and people going missing allowed her a distraction from the matter of the murder, but it was starting to catch up to her. One more friend dead, and two friends missing...her heart was filled with worry.

Tenko's gentle, warm hand rubbed her shoulder. 'It was worth a try, Kaede-san. After all, we cannot be sure of the intricacies of Kiibo-san's design. You did everything you could for his sake.'

Right then, the light turned back on and Shirogane opened the door, panting heavily. The other three rubbed their eyes, groaning.

'Oh, thank goodness! The power is back on!' Shirogane exclaimed. 'Is everyone okay?'

'That's my line, Shirogane. Where have you been?' Hoshi asked.

As she was about to answer, an announcement rang out. It was the body discovery announcement. Right afterwards, everyone's student IDs beeped. Before they could check the Monokuma File, another announcement rang out.

'Attention. It's almost nighttime. Everyone, get out of the areas that are going to be unavailable and gather in front of the elevator within ten minutes. It's trial time, you bastards! Upupupu!'

Then, silence filled the room again. Akamatsu took the student ID out of her pocket to read the Monokuma file.

'...Huh?!' She stared at the file in disbelief. Was that a joke? Was Monokuma trying to sabotage them? It was almost insulting.

'The victim is Kiibo.'

That was all it said. While Akamatsu was fuming about that, she felt a small, warm hand grab her by the wrist and lead her outside.

'We better get out of here and think about that in the hall,' Hoshi suggested calmly. 'You heard the announcement. We have to get out of the gym in ten minutes.'

The four remaining participants gathered in front of the elevator.

'But...does that mean we won't get to investigate properly?' Shirogane asked nervously. 'I-I suppose that before we go in, I should tell you where I was. After Monokuma came, I didn't want to deal with him, s-so...I went to investigate Kiibo-kun's room.'

Akamatsu looked at her keenly. 'Did you find anything important?' she asked.

'U-um, I think so... I found Kiibo-kun's charger. That would be normal, except...' She paused, showing them what she was keeping in her pockets.

It was a charger, for sure. With a cord severed in two...

That was when the elevator door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people were wondering why there was no body discovery in the previous chapter. Now you know. This case is different from every other one, eh?
> 
> And hey, DICE exists. You know, looking at the positives.


	49. Chapter 5: Trial 1

'Shirogane-san, that's important evidence!' Akamatsu exclaimed, staring at the charger in Shirogane's hands. 'Hold onto it, okay? I'm counting on you!'

Shirogane, weighed down by the sudden responsibility, almost dropped the charger. She stuffed it into her pocket for safety and noded. 'I will keep it safe, Akamatsu-san! More importantly,' she said, looking around nervously, 'should we...go in? Iruma-san and Ouma-kun are still not here...'

'If they're still alive and in the school, they must have heard the announcements, right?' Tenko mused, looking down. 'And if they're not, then...' she couldn't finish the sentence, biting her bottom lip. Tears started forming in her eyes.

'We can't wait for them,' Hoshi said firmly. 'Believe me when I say I'd want to. But if they're not here, there's nothing we can do. We already looked for them everywhere.' His tone was resigned but gentle. Akamatsu couldn't help but wonder when he had become so dependable.

'That's true. I'm sure that if they're still alive, they will join us when they can. For now...let's go and wait for them there, okay?' she said confidently, stepping into the elevator. 'Come on, everyone! Let's do it for Kiibo-kun, Ouma-kun, and Iruma-san!'

The door closed as soon as the others stepped in. It moved at the typical excruciatingly slow pace.

Akamatsu used the time in the elevator to think. Everything during the investigation happened so fast that she hardly had time to breathe, let alone form coherent thoughts or express her emotions properly.

Kiibo's death puzzled her and made her feel numb. Unlike with the other victims, it was hard to imagine his spirit watching over her. Could a robot have a soul? Or was all of him gone with the destruction of his body? Also, who could possibly wish death upon him? He was just a robot, and not even a very powerful one. All he ever wanted to do was help everyone! Who could possibly have a problem with that?

More importantly, who would have the opportunity to do that? Excepting Iruma and Ouma, whom she couldn't account for, everyone was unconscious for a few hours, and after that they stayed together until the body discovery, with just one exception she could think of....but that didn't seem plausible, either...

What about Ouma? He was opposed to murder, according to the file. But...she couldn't be sure if he counted Kiibo or not, could she? He teased the robot a lot, surely, but it seemed rather innocent. Then again, you could never tell what his intentions were for sure...and she recalled overhearing a conversation about Kiibo's mortality between the two of them. It seemed to have upset Kiibo quite a bit. Then, she couldn't rule Ouma out for certain...

Iruma was also suspicious. She would know how to destroy Kiibo, surely. The sword was also her creation. There was no doubt about that. It had her fingerprints all over it, and she was sure that she had never seen it before. But...it didn't seem right to accuse Iruma of committing the murder! In fact, she was the last person who would have hurt Kiibo! She kept giving him upgrades. They were almost inseparable. There was no way that she would kill him!

And yet...someone did. Someone killed Kiibo and left him in the boys' changing room. That was the reality of the situation. No matter what, she had to let the evidence lead her to the truth.

No matter how cruel or unbelievable it ended up being. As per usual. There was no going back.

And finally, the elevator stopped. The door opened and let them out.

The courtroom's aesthetic had changed yet again. The walls were pitch black, and the only source of light was a flashlight hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere was...rather unsettling.

'Eh? I thought the outage was over,' Shirogane pointed out, looking around the room uneasily. 'Why is it so dark here?'

'You don't like my aesthetic, Shirogane-san? I thought it was fitting. More importantly,' he said sharply, baring his claws, 'it took you so long to get here, and it's not even all of you! Are you bastards trying to make me angry? Pulling a practical joke?'

'We waited for Iruma-san and Ouma-san by the elevator, but they never showed up. We looked for them everywhere, but they were nowhere to be found,' Tenko explained. 'We are not even sure if they are alive. It almost seems to Tenko like you, Monokuma, kidnapped them and hid them away somewhere to mess with us!' she yelled, pointing her finger at the bear.

'Me, kidnap them? Why would I do that? Isn't it enough that I put all of you bastards in this school? I can't really kidnap you more than that!' Monokuma explained calmly, looking her in the eyes with a malicious grin. 'No, they disappeared on their own, I had nothing to do with it! They went and got themselves lost! They don't appear to be dead...yet.'

'Yet...?' Akamatsu glared at the bear suspiciously. 'What do you mean?'

'It sure would be a shame if they missed the vote. It's against the rules of the trial to abstain from voting for everyone who's alive and conscious – in other words, able to vote. That's why Saihara-kun wasn't punished for his absence. These two meanwhile...if they join us before the vote, they'll be in the clear. I'm a forgiving bear. But, if they don't make it in time,' he paused and grinned menacingly, 'well, they'll be as good as dead. If I find them alive, they will be executed immediately. It would be a real shame for them, wouldn't it?'

Akamatsu gulped. She could only hope that they would make it somehow. The bear's smile filled her with disgust and fear.

'There's no more time to waste for the rest of you bastards!' Monokuma informed, waving his paws at them. 'Take your seats and let's get this show on the road!'

Akamatsu found her spot. It was a weird feeling to look to the left and not see Ouma giving her a puzzling, oddly reassuring smile. Instead, his spot was occupied by a death portrait with a purple question mark painted on it. Iruma had a similar one as well.

Momota's death portrait had a red star over his face. Harukawa's had two knives crossed over her neck. Kiibo's portrait, meanwhile, had X-marks painted over his eyes.

What a cruel display...

Akamatsu took a deep breath and examined all the facts in her head.

TRUTH BULLETS:

>Monokuma File  
'The victim is Kiibo.'  
That is all it says.

>Loss of consciousness  
Akamatsu passed out while sitting in the cafeteria. She wasn't sleepy before. She only woke up hours ago.

>Power outage  
The power went out while everybody was unconscious. It only came back when Monokuma fixed it right before the trial.

>Foggy cameras  
According to Hoshi, there is a strange fog on the cameras. It's unknown where it had come from.

>The state of the body  
Kiibo's body was found in the boys' changing room by Hoshi Ryouma. He had been separated into the upper half and lower half by a clean cut through the abdomen. He didn't turn back on when Akamatsu pushed the emergency button.

>The murder weapon  
It appears that the wound on his stomach was made using the blade that was found next to him. It is unknown where it had come from, as everybody claimed that they hadn't seen it before,. Presumably, it was created by Iruma Miu, but that cannot be confirmed due to her disappearance.

>The charger  
Found by Shirogane Tsumugi in Kiibo's bedroom. The cord had been cut so it cannot be used anymore.

>Monokuma's sleep mode  
When Hoshi and Tenko found Monokuma, apparently he was in some sort of rest mode. It is unknown what activated it, but it might be related to the power outage in some way.

>The missing chemicals  
According to Tenko, there are chemicals missing from the Chem Lab cabinet. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine what exactly is gone. 

>Hoshi's testimony  
Hoshi claims that he slept through the blackout, not leaving his room until Akamatsu rang his doorbell.

>Shirogane's testimony  
She had passed out while trying to get a bottle of water from the vending machine. She woke up right when Akamatsu opened the school store's door.

>Tenko's testimony  
She was training at the gym when she lost consciousness and fell to the floor. She woke up shortly before reuniting with everyone in the hall.

>The disappearance of Ouma and Iruma  
Ouma and Iruma had been missing for hours. Since they didn't respond when Akamatsu knocked on their doors and they weren't spotted anywhere else in the school, they have to be treated as missing persons.

>Ouma's file and note  
Given to Akamatsu by Ouma himself to read 'should something happen to him' shortly before his disappearance. According to the note, he should be alive. The file states that he is a SHSL Clown rather than SHSL Supreme Leader, and is opposed to murder.

TRIAL: START

MONOKUMA: Welcome to the fifth trial, you bastards! You really did it again, huh? Let's have a quick refresher of the rules before we begin!

MONOKUMA: The trial is a non-stop discussion where you will attempt to figure out which of you is the criminal who killed Kiibo-kun, the beloved robot!

MONOKUMA: Once the time is up, all of you will vote on who you think is the culprit. Not voting is against the rules! Don't even think about it! That includes Ouma-kun and Iruma-san who decided to be fashionably late! If they don't vote, they will be declared dead! 

MONOKUMA: If you vote for the right person, they alone will be punished by means of execution! The rest of you will get to continue the game.

MONOKUMA: On the other hand, if you accuse the wrong person, the culprit will get to graduate and go outside to continue their life as nomal, while the rest of you will be executed! Think carefully before voting! There are no takebacks!

MONOKUMA: Good luck!

AKAMATSU: That means Kiibo-kun is officially declared dead, right?

MONOKUMA: Correct he was as much of a participant as the rest of you bastards, and the same rules apply. If there's no way to turn your lifeless husk back on, you're dead!

CHABASHIRA: That is such a crude way to put it! How dare you!

MONOKUMA: Hm? You don't think Yumeno-san was a lifeless husk? Or Angie-san? Did you try turning them off and on again? Upupupupu!

CHABASHIRA: S-stop! Tenko won't let you talk about them this way! That includes Kiibo-san!

MONOKUMA: Seems like I struck a nerve! Ahahaha! Upupupupu!

SHIROGANE: I simply have no clue who could have done such a thing to Kiibo-kun… He didn't do anything wrong! I'm almost sure he was programmed not to!

AKAMATSU: We will figure that out, Shirogane-san! I promise that we will! It's going to be hard, especially with the Monokuma File being as unhelpful as ever…

MONOKUMA: Excuse me, Akamatsu-san. Would the injuries help you in any way? I think you have eyes and could see as much as I did!

AKAMATSU: So…you didn't give us more information on purpose? Not the time or the cause of death? We couldn't just see everything!

MONOKUMA: I didn't say that. Kiibo doesn't have the same kind of body as you guys, so you would have no use for them if they were brought up in the file. Besides, you don't even know what time it is now, do you? What good would it do to tell you the robot 'died' at some specific time?

CHABASHIRA: That is true. When Tenko took a look inside, she couldn't make out anything except many cables and such. She doesn't know the first thing about electronics. If only Iruma-san was here...she would know! She might even be able to determine the time of death. Tenko is sure of that!

HOSHI: It's just like Iruma to disappear when we need her, huh? Well, it's not like we can do anything about that. We have to do what we can in her stead. She can't help us now.

AKAMATSU: That's true. Since we don't have much else to rely on, so we might as well establish what we were doing before the blackout. That might help narrow things down!

SHIROGANE: S-so you really think that…one of us here…

AKAMATSU: I don't have any ideas yet! That's why we're going to talk, okay? I trust…all of you to help! We can do this together!

MONOKUMA: Akamatsu-san, your stubbornness is almost impressive… I have nothing to do with the murder, so it has to be one of you bastards! You might as well stop trusting each other already, upupu~

AKAMATSU: Ugh. I'll go first, so listen to me, everyone. Shortly before the blackout I talked to Shirogane-san in the basement. Afterwards, I went to the cafeteria, where I prepared lunch and tea for myself. That's when I lost consciousness and fell to the floor. When I woke up, the cafeteria was all dark, so I assumed that it's nighttime already, but then I discovered that I can leave freely, and everywhere else is dark as well. I went to the dorms to check on everybody. That's my full story before I met Hoshi-kun!

SHIROGANE: Hmm, that makes sense, but, I have a question…i-if I may… Not- Not that I suspect you! I just…want to confirm something.

AKAMATSU: Of course. I have nothing to hide! Ask me anything!

CHABASHIRA: Th-that confidence! Kaede-san, you're amazing!

AKAMATSU: Haha, stop that! Everyone should believe in themselves like this. It feels pretty good.

SHIROGANE: A-anyway, what I wanted to ask is…when did you have lunch? Since…I went onto the first floor ahead of you, and I just want to make sure of the details. For my own reference.

AKAMATSU: Oh, that! I don't have the exact time, but I think it must have been right before 5pm or so! About half hour after we separated, maybe? I don't really check the clocks often, haha.

SHIROGANE: Understandable. Thank you, that makes sense. See, before I went to get the water from the vending machine, I was in my room, preparing the pattern for your cosplay. I didn't get very far into it before I got thirsty, so I went to grab a bottle of water...and as I was inserting the coins, I-I lost consciousness.

AKAMATSU: That must have happened around the same time as my case!

SHIROGANE: P-presumably. It still makes me wonder why you woke up so ahead of me, though. N-not that I suspect you…!

AKAMATSU: ...Of course. I'm not offended. It's probably because I'm in better physical shape than you, maybe? I was never one to faint for long! Or at all!

CHABASHIRA: That makes sense, Kaede-san! Tenko believes you, as she is in a similar boat! She almost never loses consciousness, so it was a serious surprise when she felt herself losing consciousness! She tried to fight it, but it was too strong, and she remained unconscious until shortly before we all ran into each other in the hall.

HOSHI: You were in the gym when you passed out, right, Chabashira?

CHABASHIRA: Indeed. After her swim earlier in the afternoon, Tenko decided to train on her own. She had no other choice, as…everybody who could have made a good practice partner was…already…

HOSHI: ...We get it, Chabashira. I don't think I'd make a good sparring partner unless you wanted to try tennis. Akamatsu and Shirogane aren't athletic at all, either. That's not offensive to say. Continue your story.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko's apologies for stammering! In any case, she was practicing some punches and kicks! She also meditated for a while! But, right then, her head started to feel heavy, and she toppled over, just like that. She was very confused once she woke up. It is very convenient that she ran into the rest of you so quickly.

HOSHI: I guess I'm going to stick out here. Because I didn't lose consciousness like all of you.

SHIROGANE: Huh? You weren't awake the entire time, w-were you? That would be way too suspicious a thing to admit right now…

HOSHI: I was in my room until Akamatsu came to check on me. At first I was just thinking, but I did take a small nap. From how you're describing your loss of consciousness, I definitely didn't experience it. I was just thinking with my eyes closed and spaced out.

SHIROGANE: Oh! But did you notice the power outage? I imagine you would notice even with your eyes closed, right? The inside of your eyelids goes from all orange to pitch black-

HOSHI: No, I didn't notice anything. My lights were turned off to begin with. I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. I didn't even turn the light on to answer the door. I was surprised to see that Akamatsu was shining a light in my face…

AKAMATSU: Sorry for blinding you, haha.

HOSHI: No worries. I'm glad you checked on me. Who knows how long it would have taken me to go out otherwise.

MONOKUMA: Man, you guys are way too orderly without the two idiots around to make things interesting. Can't you go at each other's throats already?! Everyone said a ton of suspicious things! Fight already! Stop being so sickeningly civil!

SHIROGANE: _(hugging herself and sweating)_ M-my apologies… As always, my boring self ruins everything…

HOSHI: Shirogane. Don't apologise to the bear. It might be easier to have a discussion when we're not attacking each other. Monokuma is probably hoping we'll start throwing accusations at each other.

MONOKUMA: My, Hoshi-kun, seeing right through me! It's almost suspicious how calm you are right now!

HOSHI: ...? If you're trying to get the rise out of me, it's not working.

AKAMATSU: Hoshi-kun is right. We can't give into the usual chaos of the class trials. That said…we do have to ask questions or we will never move the trial forward! That's why I have to ask you about something, Tenko-san.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will answer all of your questions to the best of her ability! Don't hesitate to ask about anything that might help!

AKAMATSU: Now that's the spirit!

CHABASHIRA: It really does feel good, Kaede-san!

AKAMATSU: Here goes. Something doesn't seem right with the timeline according to what you said. Or at least it seems very risky however I look at it. You said that you went to the gym after your swim, right? But then…when did the culprit and Kiibo-kun slip into the changing room?

SHIROGANE: Oh, that is a good point! If someone tried to commit the murder while Chabashira-san was there, they risked her hearing or seeing them! But it seems impossible that they would do it afterwards, since we were all unconscious. It's not adding up!

CHABASHIRA: Oh, that's because Tenko neglected to mention something! Hopefully it will explain everything. It is true that she went to the gym after she left the pool, but before that, she went to her room for a moment to fix her hair. It must have taken her about thirty minutes or so. She brushed the wetness out of it and re-braided it! As you can imagine, it took some time and work to style all this long hair after a swim.

HOSHI: So, in those thirty or so minutes, someone could have slipped in. I see. That's plenty of time, I guess. They would have been either really lucky or really observant...waiting for Chabashira to leave the area. What if she never did? I wonder what they would do.

AKAMATSU: Thank you for clearing that up, Chabashira-san. I assume you don't have any proof that you left then? Asking just in case…

CHABASHIRA: Sadly, no. Tenko can show you her brush, but that is all she has to offer. It is still slightly wet and has her hair on it.

AKAMATSU: That's good enough, I guess! Around what time did you take that break? This would be really good information to have…

CHABASHIRA: Let's see… Tenko talked to you around noon, Kaede-san. She must have taken that break about an hour or an hour and a half later. She didn't spend that entire time swimming, but that is when she left the pool for good. And went into the changing room and then her own room.

AKAMATSU: Ah…hmm…

HOSHI: What's on your mind, Akamatsu? Something not adding up?

AKAMATSU: No, it's adding up… It's just that…Kiibo-kun was definitely alive around that time. I know, because I was with him then! We spent about an hour together before I ran into Shirogane-san, so whether Tenko-san's break started after an hour or an hour and a half, I was definitely still talking to Kiibo-kun at the time.

CHABASHIRA: Oh…so Tenko's break didn't mean anything after all? That really seems…too coincidental, doesn't it…

AKAMATSU: Not necessarily. All it means is that Kiibo-kun wasn't dead yet when you left the gym. But we can't tell what the culprit was doing at that time! Maybe they were already putting their plan in motion…?

SHIROGANE: Akamatsu-san, I simply have to ask… How…was Kiibo-kun feeling when you talked to him? Y-you…might have been the last person to see him alive. I think it might be important to establish his emotional state! Did he seem nervous…? Scared?

AKAMATSU: He walked in on me playing the piano. He seemed rather nervous at first, but then we started talking about idols, and he felt all better. At least I think so. His nervousness seemed to be related to me noticing him that anything else, I think.

CHABASHIRA: Idols?! Oh, that's wonderful! Tenko could tell that he shared her interest in them! He listened to her so intently the other day!

AKAMATSU: Right! He did mention that you two talked about it and that made him want to try pursuing a career as an idol. He saw how happy it made you, and wanted to make people just as happy himself. I think you inspired him, Tenko-san.

CHABASHIRA: Oh…that is such a wonderful sentiment… Tenko...is beyond moved… _(sniffling)_ She is sure that Kiibo-san would create music that would make her happy…

SHIROGANE: Oh, I could design stage outfits for him! I have a pattern in mind already. One of the greatest, most recognisable robot idols' iconic outfit… I'm sure he would find it fitting! ...If he weren't dead, that is. Ooh, I'm sad again! This cosplay will never happen now!

AKAMATSU: Hey, everyone, keep it together! I miss Kiibo-kun too…but we have to stay focused. Now, I don't think there was anything special about that last conversation I had with him. We did some warm ups for about half an hour and…promised to practice again tomorrow…

HOSHI: Hey. Akamatsu, keep it together as well, alright? It seems like he had some pleasant moments before his death thanks to you. That's what matters here, doesn't it?

AKAMATSU: Yeah, you're right… Th-Thank you. I can definitely say that he didn't seem to be expecting to die tonight, or he probably wouldn't talk about coming again tomorrow. Unless…

HOSHI: I trust your assessment. We can assume that he wasn't expecting it.

SHIROGANE: In any case, if he was alive while Chabashira-san was in her room, that means he wasn't killed then. He must have been killed later. But when?

HOSHI: Assuming she didn't leave the gym until she woke up during the blackout, that means the murder was committed either after the blackout…or by you, Chabashira. You had every opportunity to do that, since you were training in close proximity to the crime scene for hours. You said as much yourself.

CHABASHIRA: Wh-what are you saying, Hoshi-san? Tenko had no ill will towards Kiibo-san! She was just training peacefully! That's a dirty, unfounded accusation!

SHIROGANE: R-right! I can't imagine that Chabashira-san would hurt Kiibo-kun like that!

HOSHI: Calm down…I never said she did. I just said these are the two possibilities given what we know. And they both seem ridiculous, don't you think? If Chabashira committed the murder, I don't she would tell us that she was by the crime scene. Probably.

CHABASHIRA: Don't scare Tenko like that, Hoshi-san! Y-you…menace! How dare you!

HOSHI: Ouch. I guess I earned that title after all.

AKAMATSU: But, wait a second. Everybody who was outside the dorms passed out, and you never left the dorms, Hoshi-kun. Nobody could have committed the murder then! It makes sense for none of us!

SHIROGANE: Agh, this is so confusing! Is this murder impossible?!

HOSHI: I feel like you're not taking certain things into account here, Akamatsu.

AKAMATSU: Do you mean…that we should think about Iruma-san and Ouma-kun? They're both suspicious, but…they're also not here. I haven't seen them at all today.

HOSHI: Makes them an easy target, doesn't it? We'll have to think about them later… But, what I'm really thinking about is that you're forgetting something about the blackout.

AKAMATSU: Such as?

HOSHI: For starters, you were the first one to wake up, weren't you…? ThThat's something that you're neglecting to mention.

AKAMATSU: I see how it is. Now I have to prove my innocence? I assure you that I went straight to the dorms after I left the cafeteria! That's the honest truth! I was disoriented so it took me a while, but I never went anywhere else. Maybe I should have checked the gym first…

HOSHI: Don't sweat it. I'm just pointing out your bias that makes you think that we know what you know about your situation. You know you're not lying…but to everybody else, it just seems like you're excepting yourself from the suspicion.

AKAMATSU: I get it… But I think it's obvious that I wouldn't do anything like that! I would never hurt my friends, because I know that it doesn't help, and the real enemy is the mastermind!

HOSHI: Funny that you mention that. The other possibility you're not taking into account is that someone…could have been pretending. Knowing that everyone else was knocked out would have made it easy to commit murder and then just lie down anywhere. Of course, it would require preparation, like making sure you wouldn't lose consciousness yourself, but we can't determine how difficult that would be right now.

AKAMATSU: Pretending? B-but which of us would be pretending?! I know for sure that I lost consciousness, and I believe that Shirogane-san and Tenko-san weren't pretending! Shirogane-san was still unconscious when we found her, remember? She was just starting to wake up!

CHABASHIRA: Hoshi-san…is your goal to make Tenko seem suspicious? You never saw her when she was unconscious, and you know that she was in the gym… Is that it? Because Tenko won't stand for that! Especially when you yourself had a perfect opportunity to murder Kiibo-san right under our noses!

SHIROGANE: H-huh? He did? I-I never noticed anything like that…!

AKAMATSU: Tenko-san, are you talking about the body discovery…?

CHABASHIRA: That's the only time when the four of us were separated! Specifically, Hoshi-san was separated from the rest of us! He would have had enough time to kill Kiibo-san while we were searching the girls' changing room! Isn't that true?

AKAMATSU: H-hold on! It was my idea to separate like that, not Hoshi-kun's!

CHABASHIRA: Wasn't it to be expected, Kaede-san? Hoshi-san is the only menace left amongst us now that Ouma-san had disappeared - thankfully so, if Tenko may add. It's natural to send him to investigate that room while the rest of is searched the girls' room. We trusted him to go in by himself, and…

MONOKUMA: _(eating popcorn)_ Upupu! Upupupupu! That's what I've been waiting for! You bastards finally took off your masks!

AKAMATSU: Shut up! This is serious!

SHIROGANE: Hoshi-kun, aren't you going to say anything?!

HOSHI: I figured I'd let Chabashira speak. I can see why she would suspect me…all proof you have against me committing murder is my word that I would never do it again. That's not much. Chabashira…forgive me for what I said earlier, if you can. It wasn't anything personal. I didn't…want to be suspicious of you.

CHABASHIRA: ...Hmph.

AKAMATSU: Hoshi-kun, you're wrong. There are more reasons why it's unlikely that you are the culprit. I believe you when you say that you would never do it again, but there is more than that! Please, let me explain in it, point by point!

HOSHI: Let's hear it, then. I was never good at defending myself.

AKAMATSU: Leave it to me! For starters, there are a lot of questions we need to ask, and I don't think there are good answers to them. Prove me wrong if you can, Tenko-san!

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will listen to you carefully! She also does not want to believe that Hoshi-san would do such a vile thing and lie about it like this! Although, Tenko is disappointed that Hoshi-san is using Akamatsu-san as his defendant instead of confronting Tenko head-on! She expected better from him! That will teach her to expect anything from menaces!

HOSHI: ...

AKAMATSU: Stop that, please! The only reason why he's not defending himself is that I said I will do it! It was my idea, not his! My first question is, of course, why Hoshi-kun would want to kill Kiibo-kun. But, more importantly, how would he do it? We were right there, so the risk of us walking in on him would be really big.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko has no idea why Hoshi-san would want to get rid of Kiibo-san, but that's not an argument! None of us have any reasons to kill Kiibo-san that we know of, and yet someone definitely had one.

AKAMATSU: But what would Hoshi-kun's reason be, specifically? If you wanted to suspect me, you would say that I may have found out that he has a connection to the mastermind and decided to kill him because of that. But, that's not what happened! I'm sure Kiibo-kun was our friend, and I didn't do it!

CHABASHIRA: W-well, it could have been anything…

AKAMATSU: That's too vague to be proof of anything! Also, Kiibo-kun would have to have been hiding there for a while, probably for the entire blackout, since none of us saw him in the hall. Why would he be hiding there, anyway? It's not like his body was restrained in any way when we found it. He would have waited there only if he wanted to kill Hoshi-kun or if he wanted Hoshi-kun to kill him! Do either of these make sense to you?

CHABASHIRA: N-not really… TeTenko believes that Kiibo-san was programmed so as not to hurt human beings, so he wouldn't have wanted to harm Hoshi-san, or anybody else. Unless it was a request! Hoshi-san always goes on about how he does not care about life or death, correct? Recently he has not been saying it so much, but Tenko doesn't think he changed his ways entirely!

AKAMATSU: You've got that wrong! When I talked to Hoshi-kun just the other day, he told me that he wants to stay alive and get out of the school, because he found something worth living for! I'm sure that all of us wanted to give up at some point, but Hoshi-kun is not like that anymore.

HOSHI: That's true. Even though he's not here…being around you three is still enough to keep me moving forward. I found my way. That's the truth.

CHABASHIRA: Hoshi-san… B-but, about the restrictions! Perhaps he wasn't restrained physically, but is the purpose a robot not to listen to the wishes of humans? He was learning from us, and never did anything without permission. Could it be that somebody had told him to wait there?

AKAMATSU: It's true that he listened to us. I remember I told him not to read the motive, and the next day he assured me that he didn't… Iruma-san made him her assistant for that reason, too. But! That still doesn't mean that Hoshi-kun told him to wait there until he comes to kill him! If anything that makes me more suspicious, because I admitted to talking to him before the blackout!

HOSHI: Akamatsu, you need to stop throwing yourself under the bus to make me look better. Although, it's true that any of us could have asked him to wait there quietly if we convinced him that it's important.

CHABASHIRA: That's…true…

AKAMATSU: And finally, where would Hoshi-kun get the sword from? It's very clearly made by Iruma-san, and I'm sure she would have asked what it was for. Besides, for the changing room plan to work, he would have to know that Ouma-kun would disappear, which I'm sure none of us saw coming! And he couldn't carry the sword around without us noticing anyway, so did he hide it somewhere? If so, where?

CHABASHIRA: If anybody were to know about Ouma-san, wouldn't it be Hoshi-san, the person he was the closest to? He really is a bad influence on you, Hoshi-san.

HOSHI: I promise you that I didn't know anything. He's been acting weird and I did have a feeling that something was coming… But what I expected was that he knew someone was after him and was going to kill him.

AKAMATSU: ...Huh?

HOSHI: Didn't you get the same feeling when he told you not to do *that* unless something happens to him? When you told me about that, I couldn't help but wonder…

SHIROGANE: U-um, I don't mean to interrupt, but maybe instead of talking about Ouma-kun, we could talk more about the sword? A-as Akamatsu-san said, it's not like Hoshi-kun could just carry it around. I definitely didn't see it, s-so! Where would he hide it?

CHABASHIRA: The dressing rooms, no? Perhaps in his locker! He went to the gym often enough to have plenty of opportunities to hide it there!

HOSHI: That'd be a bold move. Hiding the sword in the place where I summoned my victim to… That's a tad too ballsy for me. Hmm, here's an idea you might find more ballsy, though. What if Kiibo brought the sword?

SHIROGANE: K-Kiibo-kun himself? B-but the only reason why he would do that…would be to kill someone! He can't do that, r-right? Unless…Kiibo-kun went rogue?!

HOSHI: Not necessarily. Listen to me. We're all sure that the sword belongs to Iruma, right? There was nobody closer to her than Kiibo, I'm pretty sure. He would have the best opportunity to steal something of hers. Maybe, and that's just a guess, the culprit took advantage of that, and asked him to sneak something out, telling him it's because Iruma didn't agree to lend them the sword.

SHIROGANE: Oh! And then the would meet in a secret place where Iruma wouldn't see them. Kiibo-kun would hand them over the sword, and they would kill him with it immediately. Ah, that's so rotten, so ruthless, so dramatic! I can almost see it play out! Poor Kiibo-kun!

AKAMATSU: Hmmm… I see where you're coming from, but there's a fatal flaw in that theory.

HOSHI: What is it?

AKAMATSU: Kiibo-kun's undying loyalty to Iruma-san! I don't think anybody could convince him to do something like that behind her back!

HOSHI: You're right. It's too far fetched…

AKAMATSU: Besides that, you would have to know that the sword exists in order to want to borrow it, and none of us recognised it. I'm…almost sure that nobody's lying about that. Iruma-san likes showing off her more inappropriate inventions, but she might not be as eager to show off something like that. She did tell me that she's working on something secret the day before she disappeared…and this might have been it!

HOSHI: I guess that was a dead end. Sorry for wasting your time on it. With that, it seems like we're back to square one.

Akamatsu nodded. All the routes so far led nowhere, with guesswork and empty accusations as the only proof.

But she wasn't going to give up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! The updates are rolling in quick, huh? Well, we are close to the end and I'm kind of nervous.
> 
> What do you guys think of the case? Tell me tell me!


	50. Chapter 5: Trial 2

Akamatsu took a deep breath. The atmosphere of the courtroom was making her shudder – the single light from above made everyone appear so sinister, so distant, as if they were nothing but enemies. She could almost imagine the blackness of the walls sucking them in.

Much like the case, which remained hidden in the dark. Much like Ouma and Iruma, whose status remained unknown. Perhaps if they were there, they would shine some light on the murder.

Or, she realised with terror, they knew exactly as little as she did. In which case, weren't they all doomed? 

For now, she decided to figure out as much as possible from the information she had. There must have been a better angle to look from.

AKAMATSU: Before we move forward, we need to look at everything else surrounding this case. There are so many weird details that we still haven't looked at.

SHIROGANE: S-such as? There is so much going on that I simply cannot remember any of it!

AKAMATSU: The loss of consciousness is a good example, don't you think? It's not something that just…happens, most of the time at least. I'm pretty sure that we also were unconscious when we arrived here. Maybe we were drugged to avoid struggle? I woke up in a locker, for example, and I definitely didn't go inside on my own, you know. I must have been stuffed there when I was asleep. That means the mastermind - and Monokuma - has access to such technology!

MONOKUMA: I know what you're getting at, Akamatsu-san, so let me tell you upfront - I had nothing to do with that this time! Nothing at all whatsoever! I would have no reason to knock you guys out again, anyway. I'm here to watch you murder each other, not take naps. No reason to kill the power, either, so that one's on you bastards as well, not me!

HOSHI: Hmm…so that means it was one of us. Monokuma can't lie to us about stuff like that, can he?

MONOKUMA: A bear never lies! Upupupu!

HOSHI: That's hard to believe, but let's go with it for now. It was one of us…including Ouma and Iruma in 'us,' of course.

CHABASHIRA: It seems like our loss of consciousness, the power outage, and the murder are all connected somehow… Tenko can't see the connection yet, though. But she feels it! She is absolutely sure!

AKAMATSU: Let's take it slow. One thing at a time, okay? I think there's a connection too, but we have to look at all the elements separately before we can try to put them together.

HOSHI: That's good thinking. If you look at too many things at once, you might start to think coincidences are actual connections between completely unrelated things.

SHIROGANE: A-ah… Guilty as charged…

AKAMATSU: We're all guilty of that. It's easy to jump to conclusions. That's why we need to be more organised and take our time!

MONOKUMA: As long as you arrive at a conclusion before the voting starts, upupu…

AKAMATSU: _(going pale)_ How much...time do we have left?

MONOKUMA: Oh, plenty. I'm still entertained by your pathetic attempts and I feel like you're bound to have at least one more fight, so I'm not going to cut it short anytime soon! Don't mind me, keep walking in circles!

SHIROGANE: That's reassuring in the most insulting way…

AKAMATSU: Let's stay calm, everyone. I know that Monokuma is trying to distract us, but we can't let him. The thing we need to figure out is simple: what could have possibly caused me, Tenko-san and Shirogane-san to faint at the same time while we were in very different parts of the school?

SHIROGANE: Hmm… Aha! We had breakfast together! Maybe someone put something in our food!

AKAMATSU: I don't think so. We all ate different things, and we prepared our own meals…and we did so around seven or eight hours before the effects started, so that would have to be a really slow acting type of thing. Besides, Hoshi-kun wasn't affected like we were, he just fell asleep naturally without the dizziness. I don't think that's it.

SHIROGANE: A-ah, you're right…

HOSHI: Whatever it was, it must have been something that affected all of you but not me. That's important to keep in mind, probably.

AKAMATSU: There's no way you had the symptoms too, right? Or something else that was similarly suspicious?

HOSHI: Afraid not. You mentioned dizziness and trouble breathing, right? I just fell asleep while lying with my eyes closed with the lights off. I don't think it can get any more normal than that.

AKAMATSU: Hmm…that's definitely different from us. When I fainted, it felt like I was about to suffocate, I couldn't think straight, and so on.

CHABASHIRA: This may be a silly idea, but, hear Tenko out…what if we inhaled something? Just the three of us?

AKAMATSU: Tenko-san…! That's not silly at all! I think that might be the case, actually?

CHABASHIRA: R-really? It was just a hunch…! Is that really where the solution lies?!

SHIROGANE: We…inhaled something? I suppose that would explain the inability to breathe, the feeling of suffocation… Yes, that's genius! Though, I still don't understand how it happened in three different places at once!

AKAMATSU: There's more than that to suggest that something gaseous was released in the school! Possibly the whole school, which would explain why it affected the three of us! First, remember your discovery in the Chem Lab, Tenko-san?

CHABASHIRA: Of course! Some chemicals were clearly missing from the cabinet, Tenko is sure of that! Could they have been used to prepare the substance that caused the three of us to lose consciousness?

AKAMATSU: Most likely. I don't know the first thing about chemistry, and I have no clue what's missing, but...it's the only logical conclusion. Whatever was taken must have been combined to create some sort of a gas.

HOSHI: That's not hard proof, but I buy it. Someone who knew the first thing about chemistry could probably figure out more, but that doesn't seem to be any of us here. Iruma, maybe, but we can't exactly ask her right now.

AKAMATSU: Hoshi-kun, something you found also seems to confirm that theory!

HOSHI: Me? Hmm…could you be talking about the cameras?

SHIROGANE: Cameras…? What about the cameras?

AKAMATSU: You weren't there when we discussed that, were you, Shirogane-san? Hoshi-kun noticed that all the cameras were somewhat…foggy.

SHIROGANE: Oh! So the gas that was used on us later covered the cameras? That's so clever! I wish I knew what it was! Not that I would use it for anything, of course, but…it would be good to know…

HOSHI: The culprit must have known that the gas, or fog, or whatever it was, would knock out anyone who inhaled it, and cover the cameras to…disorient the mastermind. Of course, it could have also been a coincidence, but between that and the outage, I don't think it was.

SHIROGANE: We're up against a clever, resourceful culprit… How are we ever going to beat them?!

AKAMATSU: Hey, we're already on the right track here! We figured out one trick, we can figure out the others! Also, Hoshi-kun, the thing you said was really interesting.

HOSHI: The thing I said?

AKAMATSU: About the culprit disorienting the mastermind. I feel like we should come back to that.

HOSHI: There's nobody else who would be inconvenienced by the foggy cameras. That's my logic here. So it's either that, or just a coincidence. But, assuming Iruma is the one responsible for this, I don't think she would do anything like that on accident.

AKAMATSU: Hmm…

CHABASHIRA: There's only one thing bothering Tenko about the idea with the fog…

AKAMATSU: What is it, Tenko-san?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko doesn't understand…where it was coming from. She's sorry if that's a stupid question, but…it has to come from somewhere.

SHIROGANE: Oh, that's a good point! In order to release the fog, the culprit had to install…something, right? To hold the fog before it was released? But what could it be! Oh, we were so close…and now it's all gone…

AKAMATSU: Hey…don't give up yet, calm down, Shirogane-san. It was dark, and we were focused on other things. I'm sure we just missed it because we weren't sure what to look for. The culprit must have hidden the devices really well, but they have to be there.

HOSHI: I guess we can't deny that this is the most likely scenario. That's what we should stick to for now. The details will show themselves. What has been on my mind is that whoever set up the fog didn't include the dorms in their plan. That suggests that they installed something themself instead of, say, hijacking a system that was already there.

SHIROGANE: H-hijacking?

HOSHI: Who knows what kind of systems have been installed in this school? We can see the cameras, so we know there is a surveillance system…but there may be something hidden in these walls.

MONOKUMA: Don't worry your little head about that! No hijacked systems were involved in that incident. I would have noticed, and you would have also noticed my wrath!!

SHIROGANE: Ngh…!!

HOSHI: I guess that confirms it. I wish we had known what to look for, but it's still good to know that there's a logical explanation behind you three being affected and me being fine. How I wish I hadn't fallen asleep…

SHIROGANE: Well, if you were awake when the power went out, you'd probably pass out the instant you left your room, w-wouldn't you?

HOSHI: I guess that's a fair point. I wouldn't be able to stop anything anyway…

CHABASHIRA: There is no use in thinking about that now, Hoshi-san! Your story helped us determine what was the most likely explanation!

HOSHI: When you put it like this…it doesn't sound so bad anymore. Who knew that naps could be so useful, huh?

AKAMATSU: Now that we more or less figured out that part…I think we should move onto the blackout. Everybody fine with that? Or did I miss something?

SHIROGANE: I suppose there is no choice, but… That's going to be difficult to figure out, considering…we weren't awake when the power went out… We don't even know when it happened! How can we possibly discuss it, Akamatsu-san?

AKAMATSU: That's true. All I'm sure of is that the power went out after I lost consciousness, but I obviously can't be sure when that happened. Shirogane-san, you looked at the generator, right? Did you notice anything that could help us?

SHIROGANE: H-huh? I'm…no good with machines, but… There was something installed on it that probably caused it to turn off… Some kind of strange device…

AKAMATSU: Remotely activated?

SHIROGANE: Uh-huh. I think so! It's not like anybody came up to it and started cutting the cables, o-or beat the generator with a crowbar. I-it took a while to find the device, and I don't have it with me but… That's my report on the matter! Monokuma was the one who fixed it.

AKAMATSU: I see… That explains a lot, Shirogane-san. If it was remotely activated… I think so was the fog, actually. Obviously I don't know how either of them were activated, but it's safe to assume, yeah? Not to point out the obvious, but it also means that the culprit could have been anywhere when they activated both of them.

SHIROGANE: Do you think it's the same person behind both of these? It's n-not one of us, is it? I mean, one of…the four of us here? Hoshi-kun could have activated all that from his bedroom…

HOSHI: ...Why would I do that? I didn't even leave my room. If I did, I would be knocked out.

SHIROGANE: A-ah, right… Sorry.

HOSHI: I don't think it's one of the four of us. Who of us would have an opportunity to use that technology without being affected by it? All that was done for a reason, and I think that reason was Kiibo's murder. I have no idea why the culprit went to such lengths, but it's obviously desperation not to get caught.

AKAMATSU: I'm…actually not so sure that it's just that.

SHIROGANE: Wh-what do you mean? That's what this is all about, isn't it? Kiibo-kun's murder?

AKAMATSU: I think that it wasn't done for the sake of Kiibo-kun's murder…but for the sake of the great escape. You know, Ouma-kun's, and I assume Iruma-san's as well. I wish we knew if they are working together…!

SHIROGANE: Oh…so the fog and the outage were both set up so that nobody could see how they escaped? Not even…the mastermind…

AKAMATSU: That's what I think. I may be wrong, but…

HOSHI: Akamatsu, I think we've danced around this for too long. We have to talk about these two. It's time to put all our cards on the table.

SHIROGANE: If none of us here are the culprit…that means it's either Ouma-kun or Iruma-san! So let's decide which it is! It can only be one!

AKAMATSU: ...

CHABASHIRA: ...And it's obviously Ouma-san! He's the only person ruthless enough to do something like this and make it as difficult for us as possible! Tenko knows that he is twisted enough to do that!

HOSHI: Hm? That's interesting. I was just thinking that everything obviously points to Iruma being the main suspect.

CHABASHIRA: ...

HOSHI: ...

SHIROGANE: O-oh… Oh no… Bad feeling, bad feeling…

MONOKUMA: Ohohoho! Upupupu!

The time stopped. Everyone's bodies froze in anticipation of the conflict that was about to explode at full force between Chabashira Tenko and Hoshi Ryouma. It wasn't like it came out of nowhere, in hindsight. The signs were all there from the start.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko sees where this is going… You've decided to align yourself with Ouma-san...and defend him, yes? Is this some sort of biased male solidarity? Is that what it is?

HOSHI: Some solidarity…you could say so. I'm rather fond of Ouma, despite everything, believe it or not. Bias? Maybe it is a bias to follow what my heart tells me for the first time in ages. But, Chabashira…is your defence of Iruma any less biased? I think we can both lay all that on the table where we both can see it, hm?

CHABASHIRA: Hmmm… That is a bold statement, Hoshi-san. You are putting your feelings out there clearly! Tenko can't not respect that, but you are wrong about her nonetheless! She is not defending Iruma out of any bias!

HOSHI: Chabashira…we all have biases. I don't think it's wrong to acknowledge them. But we still have to put the evidence first. Of course, I don't want Ouma to be the culprit, but that doesn't mean I want Iruma to be one…it just seems more likely.

CHABASHIRA: You cannot be serious, Hoshi-san! Ouma-san has been suspicious from the start! He even tricked us into thinking he was the killer once before! This sort of complicated, trick-filled plan is exactly something that he would come up with to torture us while he escapes on his own!

HOSHI: All of that is true. It's also unrelated to this case. Unlike, say, Iruma inventing the sword that killed Kiibo. Nobody else could do that.

SHIROGANE: Akamatsu-san, do you feel like…we have no reason to be here…?

AKAMATSU: No. We have to keep this discussion from turning into a bloodbath. That's our purpose. Hoshi-kun, Tenko-san!

CHABASHIRA: How rude of us! Tenko was so blinded by fury that she forgot to ask everybody else about their opinions on the matter! Do you mind, Hoshi-san?

HOSHI: It will be useful to hear the others out. This way we eliminate our biases.

SHIROGANE: O-oh, you want me to voice an opinion? U-um…

CHABASHIRA: No worries, Shirogane-san! No matter what you say, you will be safe!

SHIROGANE: Then, let's see… Um, I think that Ouma-kun is definitely suspicious, just as a person…

CHABASHIRA: Ha!

SHIROGANE: B-but…there's no doubt that Iruma-san is responsible for the sword, the fog, and the power outage…

CHABASHIRA: E-eh? Kaede-san, what do you think, then!

AKAMATSU: Me? I think that we should discuss both points of view. There's merit in both of them. I will keep my suspicions to myself for now, if that's okay.

HOSHI: Fair enough. Chabashira, want to make your case? I won't interrupt you. I just want to hear why you suspect Ouma and think Iruma is innocent.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will accept this opportunity! Firstly, she had assumed that suspecting Ouma-san was the natural thing to do here! Has he not done enough to be distrusted? Tenko has already mentioned that he pretended to be Saihara-san's killer just to trick everybody! Besides that, he has mentioned that he'd killed many people before, as a supreme leader of an evil organisation! That means he would not hesitate to kill anybody here! You have to admit that he was not fond of Kiibo-san in particular, so killing him is something Tenko wouldn't put past him! That should be enough!

AKAMATSU: You…you've got that wrong!

CHABASHIRA: H-huh? Kaede-san…?

AKAMATSU: I'm sorry Tenko-san, but you're wrong about some of these things. I have to correct them!

CHABASHIRA: If…if Tenko is wrong, do tell her!

AKAMATSU: Let me be clear, okay? Ouma-kun has done a lot of things I disagree with. There were times when I really, really hated him! He messed with me on purpose! So, I'm not saying what I'm saying because I think Ouma-kun did nothing wrong. I just know there is more to it! And I think we all need to be on the same page before we can make proper judgements.

HOSHI: That sounds fair enough. You may be better suited for this than I am. I'll leave it to you for now, then.

AKAMATSU: I agree that Ouma-kun lied about killing Saihara-kun to trick us all. I felt as betrayed as everyone did, believe me. But…that wasn't his only goal! He even admitted it in Angie-san's trial! Do you remember? He explained that his main goal was to confirm his theory about the culprit, Toujou-san. It was a risk for him, too. Monokuma took away his key, and Momota-kun almost choked him! He spent two whole days chained to the floor in the warehouse! He almost died from being poisoned by Toujou-san! I think he more than made up for tricking us, you know?

SHIROGANE: Ah, that is true! It was so scary when Momota-kun started choking him… His face became as purple as the highlights in his hair!

HOSHI: ...? That's not the description I would use, but, I guess…

CHABASHIRA: Even if that is true, that still means he is capable of such trickery! We cannot forget that, Kaede-san!

AKAMATSU: I'm not forgetting that! I just think there's more nuance to it! You will see what I mean soon. The real thing I want to address is your second point about Ouma-kun being a supreme leader.

CHABASHIRA: Is that not what he is? Tenko is positive that his talent was Super High School Level Supreme Leader!

AKAMATSU: That…was actually a lie.

CHABASHIRA: Eeeeeeeh?!

SHIROGANE: H-huh? A lie? I-I guess it's not that surprising, all things considered, b-but…

AKAMATSU: I have proof of that in his file! It's right here!

SHIROGANE: Oh! Wait, didn't Hoshi-kun get that file initially? How did you get it, Akamatsu-san?

HOSHI: Ouma and I traded files after the previous trial. According to Akamatsu, Ouma then gave her his file to open if something happens to him. I can confirm that the file says he lied about his talent and some other things, so Akamatsu has the real deal.

AKAMATSU: That's true. That's exactly what happened. He told me not to open it unless something happens, so I only read it when I was sure he disappeared…

SHIROGANE: I see, that's what you were talking about earlier. Well, what does it say! That sounds awfully important!

AKAMATSU: I won't read the whole thing to you, but there are two main points of interest in it. First, Ouma Kokichi's true talent is not Super High School Level Supreme Leader, but Super High School Level Clown. He grew up in a circus and worked there in his late teens. That's the truth behind his talent!

SHIROGANE: ...Clown? Well, that is not as much of a surprise as I thought. Ouma-kun did like making jokes.

CHABASHIRA: Then…Ouma-san did not have an organisation at all? He was an entertainer? That's an awful, awful trick to play on us!

AKAMATSU: Well, that's not all there is to it… There's another layer to this.

CHABASHIRA: Please, Kaede-san, untangle the lies! Tenko believes in you!

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun did have an organisation! But it wasn't powerful at all. It was a group of kids who left the orphanage along with him and were loyal to him as their leader. They committed many petty crimes, such as vandalism and shoplifting, but they had one rule nobody could break: don't commit murder!

SHIROGANE: H-huh? I mean, that's a reasonable boundary to set, but…that's underwhelming compared to what I expected the organisation to be…!

HOSHI: I don't think you should be upset about that… What matters here is something else entirely. Ouma lied about his organisation being dangerous. He was against murder. That changes some things, doesn't it, Chabashira?

CHABASHIRA: ...

AKAMATSU: I know it may be hard to believe that someone would lie about something like this, but it's true. Ouma-kun wasn't a completely harmless person, and his organisation was technically criminal…but he wasn't a ruthless murderer. That's for sure.

CHABASHIRA: If that is the truth, Tenko will accept it. Although, Hoshi-san…how can you still defend Ouma-san, knowing all of these lies? How can you have such warm feelings towards someone so awful?

HOSHI: How? Hmm…I guess I might be a bit naive in this one respect. I've been cynical for a long time now. It's good to have an exception every now and then. I'm aware of everything brought up in the file and more. I just…decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, I guess. Maybe it's foolish of me, but at this point I prefer to put my trust in him. If it turns out I was wrong…I'll still be fine.

CHABASHIRA: Understood. Tenko…can relate to that. Even after she found out about Harukawa-san's past and her crime, she wanted to believe that there were reasons behind it. She…can't blame you, but she will continue to doubt Ouma-san for now!

HOSHI: I can't blame you for that, but I think your case against him is shaky, given all the evidence that proves you had the wrong idea about him. What else is there?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko still thinks that there is a possibility that he murdered Kiibo-san without compromising his moral code! He is a twisted enough person to take advantage of a loophole!

SHIROGANE: What's the loophole…?

AKAMATSU: Do you mean…Kiibo-kun's personhood?

CHABASHIRA: Precisely! Ouma-san could excuse the murder of Kiibo-san if he convinced himself that it does not count as murder, because Kiibo-san is not human! Of course, that's a disgusting thought process, but that's exactly why Ouma-san could use it, don't you think? We know that Kiibo-san was as much as a participant the rest of us, but Ouma-san may have thought it would be ambiguous.

AKAMATSU: Hmm…that is a stretch, but it does remind me of the conversation I overheard between the two a long time ago.

SHIROGANE: What was the conversation? This is starting to get so intense…!

AKAMATSU: I didn't hear all of it, but Ouma-kun was teasing Kiibo-kun about his status in the killing game one day after breakfast. If I recall correctly, he was wondering what it would take to kill Kiibo-kun. I really don't think it was a serious conversation at all, but it must have made Kiibo-kun really uncomfortable.

SHIROGANE: Ooooh, that's some wonderful foreshadowing! Especially if Ouma-kun is the killer!

CHABASHIRA: That is too significant to be a coincidence! He was already planning something back then, Tenko is sure!

HOSHI: Don't you think that's too on the nose? He asked about that where people could hear him loud and clear.

AKAMATSU: Yeah, I also think it was more of a way to tease Kiibo-kun than anything he was seriously planning… But this is still something worth thinking about. Weren't we all questioning if Kiibo-kun is really alive, and now really dead? I hesitated to call his body a corpse…because it's made of metal, and I'm not used to thinking of that as something that's alive like human beings are. Ouma-kun probably thought about that, too, but I'm not sure if that means he would kill Kiibo-kun just because he thought he'd get away with it. That's a huge leap!

CHABASHIRA: We have to rely on something! Tenko also isn't sure if that's the truth or not, but it might be…it seems to be!

SHIROGANE: Th-that's a huge accusation… I'm not sure if I'm ready to make it…

AKAMATSU: I think we've talked about Ouma-kun enough for now… Maybe things will get clearer once Hoshi-kun tells us why he suspects Iruma-san instead.

HOSHI: We're really putting it like that, huh? I guess I have no choice but to make my case.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will refute you with everything it takes!

HOSHI: Be my guest… YouYou can't deny that Iruma was involved in this case. She's most definitely the one who made the sword. The device you found in the generator that caused the outage, as well as whatever she used to make the fog, sounds like something nobody else could have done. She could also easily exploit Kiibo's trust if she wanted. He wouldn't be wary around her at all.

SHIROGANE: That's true, Kiibo-kun would be much less likely to cooperate with Ouma-kun. To be fair, anybody would be.

CHABASHIRA: One second! Do you really think Iruma-san would betray Kiibo-san just like that? Tenko can't imagine that they would ever hurt each other!

HOSHI: I don't want to say I doubt Iruma…I'm just saying that it might have become a necessity.

CHABASHIRA: What could you possibly mean…?

HOSHI: I don't know the circumstances behind the murder. Maybe Iruma noticed something we didn't, because she spent so much time with him. In that case, she could decide to kill him for safety.

SHIROGANE: Are you implying…that Kiibo-kun might have gone rogue?

AKAMATSU: But…there's a button on his neck that's specifically made for cases like this! I think Iruma-san would use that first!

HOSHI: Maybe she did and it didn't work. Or maybe she didn't know about it.

AKAMATSU: Huh? Hmm…when I found it, Kiibo-kun did tell me that nobody else knows about it. But with all the upgrades and how often she examined him, she must have found the button! She probably just never told him about it.

HOSHI: Hmmm… It does seem unlikely that she wouldn't notice. Whatever you can say about Iruma, she's thorough. I'd say her knowledge of his anatomy was…intimate.

CHABASHIRA: That's an inappropriate thing to say, Hoshi-san!

HOSHI: My bad. I see all of you believe in Iruma's bond with Kiibo. I'm not saying I don't believe it, but we have to face the facts. She's behind basically everything in this case.

SHIROGANE: Maybe…she did it at someone else's request! Say, for example, Ouma-kun's.

AKAMATSU: Would she agree to that…?

SHIROGANE: Well, Ouma-kun might have tricked her. Maybe he was trying to frame her, because he knew we would identify the sword and the devices as her work. And he could get off scot-free!

HOSHI: Didn't he anyway? He's not here. It's not like he would get executed. I have another point to mention, by the way. Remember the charger we found?

SHIROGANE: The broken one I found in Kiibo-kun's room?

HOSHI: That same one. It's another thing that Iruma had access to that Ouma didn't, on the basis of her closeness to Kiibo. She could have destroyed it to make sure that he wouldn't be able to recharge.

CHABASHIRA: That's absurd! He wouldn't be able to use the charger due to the outage either way!

HOSHI: Hmmm… Maybe it was a bargaining point of some sort.

AKAMATSU: I'm more confused than ever… It feels like all of these roads lead nowhere. We still have no clue who really did it!

MONOKUMA: You'd better hurry up. Only twenty-five minutes until you have to vote!

AKAMATSU: T-twenty five?!

SHIROGANE: Oh no, will we have to guess who the culprit is? It's like a coin toss, I suppose, since it must be one of those two, right?

AKAMATSU: It must, but it also can't be! I can't imagine either of them killing Kiibo-kun for different reasons! I believe in both of them,and yet…

HOSHI: Akamatsu. Calm down. Take a deep breath. There's no time for panic now. Take it easy.

AKAMATSU: Okay… I want to come back to my earlier idea that the fog and the outage weren't done for the sake of the murder, at least not for the sake of the murder alone. I still think that's the case.

SHIROGANE: It was so they could escape, correct? That makes sense… FirstFirst the fog, then the outage, to make sure that nobody could see what was happening. It makes me wonder about one thing, though… Actually, it's been on my mind for a while…

AKAMATSU: Yes?

SHIROGANE: I-I wonder why the culprit chose the changing room of all places. It immediately seems suspicious, because Kiibo-kun couldn't swim…

AKAMATSU: Shirogane-san…you just said something very important!

SHIROGANE: A-ah, me?!

AKAMATSU: I can tell you exactly why the changing rooms are the scene of the crime. There are no cameras there!

CHABASHIRA: Oh…!

SHIROGANE: That's right, we confirmed that ourselves… That place really was created to be a murder scene.

AKAMATSU: You don't understand the significance of that. Since there are no cameras there, and Kiibo-kun is a robot so nobody can precisely establish the time of death… Nobody! Not even Monokuma can!

MONOKUMA: ...

???: Man, it took you long enough to realise that!

???: I thought they wouldn't get it right before the vote at this rate!

Akamatsu, along with everyone else, turned towards the source of the voices. Immediately, she screamed with a mixture of joy, relief, and shock.

Barely visible in the dim light, there stood Ouma Kokichi and Iruma Miu, entering the courtroom. Akamatsu couldn't tell where they came from, or how long they'd been there for, but she didn't care. Her legs instinctively carried her towards them until she could embrace their worn bodies tightly.

Iruma had a nosebleed, and her overalls were now a grey-ish colour and torn in a few spots. Ouma's normally white clothes were now brown and red - he had scraped his knee.

Nothing mattered to Akamatsu at that moment. Nothing but the fact she got her friends back.

OUMA: Jeez, Akamatsu-chan, you're more of a crybaby than I remembered.

IRUMA: Hey, Bakamatsu, hold it together, for fuck's sake! I didn't come here to be covered in your snot!

AKAMATSU: Sorry, sorry! I'm just glad to see you two are safe!

MONOKUMA: Not to interrupt this tearful reunion, buuuuut, we're in the middle of a trial here! I see you two decided to join us fashionably late today. Luckily for you, there are ten minutes until voting time!

HOSHI: Ten minutes, huh…

AKAMATSU: Voting time…? You can't possibly know who committed the murder, I just proved that! How can we hold the vote in a situation like this?! You won't even know if we're right or not! That's unfair!

MONOKUMA: Maybe I can just decide if I like your answer on the spot, hmm? That would be exciting, upupu! Or I could just execute one of you two. The one I decide I like less. Or maybe execute everyone for blatant disobedience?

IRUMA: Don't even joke about that, you shitty toy! You can't just execute us over nothin'! That's against the rules!

SHIROGANE: Maybe you two could just tell us which of you did it…that way we would, um…

IRUMA: Are ya stupid…? Forget I even asked. Tch.

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san…

CHABASHIRA: What should we do now? If we have to vote…

OUMA: How about we play a game, hm? Both of us know the answer you seek! One of us tells only lies, the other only tells the truth! You can only ask us one question, so choose wisely, nishishi~

CHABASHIRA: Seriously, at a time like this?! Tenko told everybody that Ouma-san is no good!

OUMA: Mhm, I heard. We were able to hear the last hour or so of the trial. I'm flattered that you hate me so much, Chabashira-chan! That means I was super-duper convincing!

CHABASHIRA: Ugh!

AKAMATSU: Let me handle this, everyone! Ouma-kun, Iruma-san who killed Kiibo-kun?

HOSHI: You're really going with the big guns, huh? This better be the right call…

SHIROGANE: ...

OUMA: Iruma-chan did, of course.

IRUMA: Kiibs…killed himself.

SHIROGANE: H-huh? That's not an option I took into consideration… Huh?! What is this?! It must be a lie!

AKAMATSU: That's the truth. Iruma-san is telling the truth. I'm positive.

IRUMA: ...Hah...

OUMA: Ding-dong! You got that right, Akamatsu-chan! Impressive as always.

AKAMATSU: Of course I did. Would the king of liars ever be the one to tell only the truth?

OUMA: ... _(smiling softly)_

CHABASHIRA: B-but that answer makes no sense! How and why did Kiibo-san…?

IRUMA: I'll tell ya everything later. Just so y'all know I'm serious about this, I'm voting for Kiibs, and so is the shitty twink. Trust your golden girl genius for once! I wouldn't fuckin' joke about this!

OUMA: How can you be so sure of that, Iruma-chan? Maybe I'm going to vote for your bitchy self, hmm? Ever thought of that?

IRUMA: Ya slimy li'l…!

AKAMATSU: I will...vote for Kiibo-kun as well! Everyone, please trust Iruma-san!

MONOKUMA: You're voting for the victim? Oh, how boring! Do u have to dig up his dead body and execute it, then? That almost sounds good, actually, now that I think about it…but it'd be even better to execute the loudmouth, Iruma-san, don't you think?

AKAMATSU: No!

MONOKUMA: Well, it's voting time! And I'm getting everything ready for the execution!

??????????? HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY……………………………………….ERRORERRORERROR

The same robotic arms that had grabbed Harukawa when she attacked Monokuma now sprang out towards Iruma, who leapt into the air. Her reflexes were too fast for them, though, and she sent a wave of electricity through the arms, using a taser-like device. Sparks flew through the air, and finally Iruma landed safely back on the ground.

The arms dropped to the ground, unmoving.

EXECUTION: FAILED……………………………………………………………. ERRORERRORERROR

MONOKUMA: Hm. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. You bastards did end up voting for Kiibo, huh? That's so very interesting, upupu…

IRUMA: You have nothing to laugh at, shithead! You lost! Even your own fuckin' system knows that you lost! You can't even prove that Kiibs didn't do it himself! You got nothin'!

AKAMATSU: That's a practical joke, alright…

OUMA: The best prank ever pulled! Hey, Monokuma, what are you planning to do now that you lost the trial?

MONOKUMA: ...

OUMA: Nishishi… Speechless Monokuma, a beautiful sight.

AKAMATSU: I don't think this is over. Monokuma will try to continue the game. But he doesn't have the authority he used to anymore! I have an idea that can finally end this game for good. I think Monokuma will agree to it, too.

MONOKUMA: Akamatsu-san, bold as ever. Let's hear your great idea! Obviously, I won't just let you go now, so the idea better be good.

AKAMATSU: A final trial. Not about murder…but about revealing the mysteries of this school and the identity of the mastermind. Everything that's left to uncover! If we win it, all of us get to leave the school!

MONOKUMA: What if you lose?

AKAMATSU: We're not going to.

MONOKUMA: _(grinning)_ I'll choose the punishment if you lose. There needs to be something in it for me, you know?

HOSHI: Too predictable…

AKAMATSU: That's fine. We're not going to lose. I know it!

MONOKUMA: Out of curiosity, Akamatsu-san…why did you decide to trust Iruma-san? She could very well be covering her own ass, as far as you know. Coincidentally, that's also as far as I know. You were completely right about me not having seen the murder. You're a dangerous one, Akamatsu-san! Upupupupupu!

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san is my friend. Even if I thought that the vote mattered, I would have listened to Iruma-san. Deep down, that was the solution that I wanted…to have neither of them be the villain. I don't know the details…but it also just makes sense to me!

IRUMA: Bakamatsu…

MONOKUMA: You bastards…sleep tight now. I'm going to be merciful and let you sleep before the final confrontation for the sake of fairness. Let's meet at noon sharp, in the gym. That's when I will lay out the rules of the final trial. Sounds good? I mean, not like your input matters! But I refuse to discuss rules right now.

OUMA: Because you need to come up with them on the spot? Nishishi!

MONOKUMA: Maybe, maybe not! Maybe I knew the day was coming. In any case, get rest now. You will need it to survive the trial, upupupupupupu!

With that, Monokuma disappeared.

Iruma immediately went limp, almost dropping to the floor - Akamatsu grabbed her just in time and held her body up.

Everybody ran up to them in awe to confirm that they were indeed standing in front of them in the flesh. Tenko grabbed Iruma's hand and squeezed it affectionately, asking if she was alright. Hoshi avoided eye contact from Ouma, but walked up to him nonetheless.

'Iruma-san, Ouma-kun! You have to tell us what happened!' Shirogane insisted. 'I still don't understand it!'

'Nah. Fuckin' excuse me but I just almost died. Your shitty questions can wait. Ask the circus clown if ya wanna, but I'm out,' Iruma barked, wiping her face.

'Iruma-san, are you crying?' Akamatsu asked, feeling her heart ache.

'What do ya think? Geniuses don't cry, I'm just fuckin' tired,' Iruma muttered, clearly crying.

'Ouma-kun, what on earth happened? Please tell us,' Akamatsu begged, letting Iruma cling onto her shoulder.

'Wouldn't you like to know, nishishi!' Ouma giggled with a wide grin. 'Sucks for you, because I'm not telling! I'm sooooo tired! You know, from crawling around until we found our way here.'

'How did you get here, anyway?' Shirogane asked suspiciously.

'That's a secret,' Ouma informed in a singsongy voice, bringing his index finger up to his lips. 'All of you are so weird. Don't you wanna sleep? Jeez,' he complained, heading towards the elevator. As he passed by Akamatsu, he slid something into her pocket. Her body stiffened. She decided to check it as soon as she was back in her dorm.

She reluctantly followed him, holding Iruma up. She didn't understand where he was getting all his energy from. Perhaps that too was a lie, a pose, but it was still somewhat impressive…

Everyone entered the elevator. It went up as slowly as always.

Tenko was helping Akamatsu carry Iruma's exhausted body. Shirogane was looking between them and Ouma nervously. She still didn't know what to make of the trial. Akamatsu couldn't blame her. She was rather confused herself.

Finally, the group arrived in the main hall. Ouma took off towards the dorms, followed by a quiet, withdrawn Hoshi.

Iruma wrestled her way out of Tenko's and Akamatsu's arms and headed there as well, walking like a zombie. She must have been completely exhausted.

Akamatsu, Shirogane and Tenko watched them with concern, but ultimately decided to go to their dorms as well.

Akamatsu leapt onto her bed and looked at the ceiling. She knew that the next day would decide everything, and that she needed to sleep in order to face it properly, but the anxiety was making it hard to fall asleep.

There were so many questions still left unanswered. The trial still felt like a collective fever dream.

But she had to accept that all of it was real. Monokuma's authority was damaged thanks to Iruma's, Ouma's and Kiibo's actions.

She couldn't let that advantage go to waste.

Then, she remembered that Ouma gave something. It was rather heavy, so it probably wasn't paper this time.

She took it out of the pocket and smiled as soon as she realised what it was.

The marble that he had shown her once when they hung out. Was it a sign that his plan had another layer that the trial was meant to distract from?

Everything was getting so very interesting.

6 PLAYERS REMAINING  
CHAPTER END: LIFE'S A STUDY OF DYING  
RECEIVED GIFT: OUMA'S MARBLE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I finished this chapter early, I'll use the opportunity to talk for a bit.
> 
> This is chapter goddamn fifty! I can't believe we got here already! The sad news is that it means that this adventure will end really soon. We have about 4-5 chapters left before it ends, depending on how I manage to spread out the content.
> 
> I can't tell if this trial turned out well or not. It was challenging, but I kept it somewhat in the spirit of dr1 chapter 5 with leaving some things vague, and someone outsmarting the mastermind (or did they?), etc. I hope that keeping Iruma and Ouma alive doesn't seem like a copout. I need them alive for the final chapter but the tension was fun!
> 
> I won't leave Kiibo's case entirely unsolved. An explanation is coming. Climax inference delayed for reasons.
> 
> Shoutout to the person who predicted the failing execution also - you're a legend.
> 
> I have so many more thoughts and feelings that are hard to express. I just hope you guys enjoyed this trial enough. Let's meet again in chapter 6!


	51. Chapter 6: Begin

Akamatsu Kaede was having an odd dream.

More specifically, she was having a vision that, by all accounts, should have been a dream. The only issue was that she wasn't in a state of deep sleep. Indeed, she was only about half-asleep, dipping in and out of consciousness feverishly.

The vision was similar to the ones she would always get at the piano, except the setting was different. It felt...familiar...even though she couldn't possibly remember anything like that...

It was a school. Specifically, she was sitting in a rather nice classroom, very different from the one where she had woken up before the killing game started. The sun was shining on her desk and a pleasant breeze stroked her cheek as she stretched her arms. It was definitely a break between classes. She couldn't make out anything that was written on the blackboard, no matter how hard she squinted, despite sitting rather close to it. Odd...

Suddenly someone sitting to her right (her seat was in the front, by the window. Such is the quirk of your last name starting with 'A') poked her on the shoulder. She turned her head towards them with a mix of curiosity and impatience, both of which evaporated to make room for surprise once she saw who it was.

Ouma Kokichi. It was definitely Ouma, although his hair was noticeably more purple than she was used to (he must have dyed it recently), and his clothes were different – much like hers, which she realised once she looked down. They were both wearing the same school uniform, which she had never seen before. She decided that it would be better not to question it.

He leaned forward, covering his mouth. She instinctively leaned towards him.

'Hey, Akamatsu-chan, wanna know something funny?' he asked with a mischievous smile and, not waiting for her answer, continued in a theatrical whisper: 'Iruma-chan forgot to put her-' he couldn't finish the sentence as Iruma smacked the back of his head, leaning over from the desk behind Akamatsu's. That arrangement made sense. Alphabetically, it went 'a, i, u, e, o,' after all.

Wait, it didn't make sense for an entirely different reason! What was this vision that seemed so real and so familiar!

She shook her head slightly while Iruma, flushed with embarrassment and fury, stood between the two of them in offended silence.

'You two, don't forget about the meeting today,' Ouma reminded them, once he stopped giggling, satisfied by the impact his whispering to Akamatsu had on Iruma.

'What meeting?' Akamatsu asked. Or she would have, if she controlled her avatar in the strange vision. What her dream self said instead was: 'Jeez, it's today? I forgot. I wonder what we'll talk about today...'

Iruma said something behind her, but she couldn't quite make it out because of a strange noise that, she realised as fear washed over her body – she was actually hearing in reality. It was coming from the door. It was very faint, but she could have sworn that she heard it! There was no voice, just a barely noticeable metallic sound. Then again, the rooms were soundproof, so she wouldn't be able to hear a voice even if there was one.

Filled with unspecified fear, she tiptoed towards the door and opened it swiftly.

'Oh, you ARE awake,' Iruma said, taking something out of the keyhole. 'Good. Damn, your hearing really is next level, huh?' she remarked, straightening her back with a delicious crunch. She had changed out of her dirty clothes into a light shirt and very short shorts. Once Akamatsu looked down, she also noticed that she was barefoot.

She stared at the unexpected guest, dumbfounded, but automatically stepped back into the room to let her in before closing the door. She shook her head, looking at the strange device Iruma was holding and then back at her face.

'Hey, Bakamatsu, I know I'm gorgeous but stop staring at me like I'm a fuckin' ghost.'

'S-sorry. You kind of are like a ghost... Anyway, what are you doing here at this hour?! I thought you were to tired to move!' Akamatsu asked frantically, sitting back on the bed.

'I couldn't sleep. Figured ya wouldn't either, so I came. Thought that I might as well tell someone what the deal with Kiibs is,' she added quietly, as if talking to herself. 'I thought that I would have to break in, so I brought this,' she added, throwing the device Akamatsu's way.

'What even *is* this?' Akamatsu asked, examining it. It was a small, light device that resembled a miniature screwdriver, except there was something attached to the tip.

'Oh, that? It's for lockpicking, duh. I designed it with the shitty twink, just in case,' she explained nonchalantly, sitting beside her.

'You were planning to break into my room?!' Akamatsu exclaimed, accidentally dropping the device. She was starting to remember how challenging interacting with Iruma could be.

'I don't see why you're so pressed,' Iruma scoffed, rolling her eyes. 'You opened up for me anyway.'

'That's true, but- Agh, forget it,' Akamatsu sighed, shaking her head. 'You said you wanted to talk about Kiibo-kun, right? And the trial?' she changed the topic, turning towards her.

'Yeah. I imagine a nosy bitch like you won't just let it go. Ya wanna know everything, huh?' Iruma chuckled grossly, avoiding eye contact. 'Actually, I had a question for ya as well. I go first. I jus' need to know before I get to the deets. Why the fuck didja trust me so easily? You said you trust me 'cuz we're friends but that sounds like bullshit.'

'You want to know the whole truth behind that? Jeez..' Akamatsu's voice dropped into a husky whisper. 'It is because you're my friend and I knew you wouldn't have lied about Kiibo-kun like that, but there is more to it... I figured that it was the safest option. Suspecting you and Ouma-kun didn't take us anywhere. I couldn't believe that either of you did it, but the mastermind would have executed you if we voted for you, because nobody knew the truth anyway. It would be as legitimate as any other vote!'

'Damn, Bakamatsu,' Iruma whispered back, impressed, 'I didn't give ya enough credit. You do have a brain after all! I'm almost impressed, though obviously ya got nothing on my golden brain.'

'Thanks,' Akamatsu said flatly. 'Hey, wanna lie back? I think we'll be more comfortable that way.'

Iruma blushed furiously, opening her mouth. 'Bakamatsu, are ya seducin' me? I mean, I'm gorgeous and all, but that's a sudden change 'a heart...'

'Maybe I am,' Akamatsu giggled, 'or maybe I just want to lie down. Aren't you tired? It will be way more comfortable,' she teased, and, not waiting for Iruma to process what she was saying, instead grabbing her wrist and leaning back. Iruma shrieked, but didn't resist. They were now lying face to face on Akamatsu's bed, their faces close.

'Now please, tell me all about the case, Iruma-san. You came here because you wanted someone to talk to, right? I will listen to everything you have to say,' Akamatsu whispered, holding Iruma's hand. It felt so smooth without the glove covering it. Indeed, there was something different about Iruma without all her accessories to hide behind. The goggles were gone, as was the makeup she always wore to make her eyes appear sharper. The BDSM-esque gear was gone as well, and the only thing left to mark her as the familiar Iruma Miu was the choker she was still wearing.

'Fine,' she whispered sharply, looking down at her hand. 'Where the fuck do I even start? A lot of shit went down. It's still a fuckin' mess in my head.'

'Hmmm, how about you tell me about the blackoout first? And the...fog? Or whatever it was? That sounds like a good place to start, I think,' Akamatsu suggested, stroking her hand with her thumb soothingly. 'I've been wondering about that incident. That was your doing, wasn't it?'

'Duh, who else could it fuckin' be?' Iruma scoffed. 'To be fair, the designs were made by the twink. He's designed a lot of shit, but obviously not all of it exists. Even your favourite golden girl has her limits. Anyway,' she continued, licking her lips, 'the idea was to knock everyone out before the blackout. Taking care of the cameras was also important in case something went wrong with the fuckin' generator, or if they had their own generator somewhere else. The sooner they were unusable, the better, obviously.'

'That makes sense. And Kiibo-kun wouldn't be affected by any of that, so he could move freely.'

'Ya got it. One of the upgrades I gave Kiibs was night vision, so he was good no matter what. Besides the obvious. He couldn't breathe.'

'I still don't understand how exactly you made us pass out, though,' Akamatsu noted. 'You used stuff from the Chem Lab, right? We noticed that some chemicals were missing.'

'Oh yeah,' Iruma nodded, 'I've been takin' a ton of shit from there, not just for the sake of this. None of you suckers know shit about chemistry, but it saved my ass a lot. What I used doesn't concern ya, but basically made a shitton of tiny-ass mist bombs and hid them around the school. So did Kiibs and the clown king. Monokuma's probably lookin' for them as we speak, but I guarantee he ain't gonna find them all. Besides, it doesn't matter. Not like I'm gonna use them twice.'

'Mist bombs, huh? I know that I probably wouldn't understand any of the details of that, but I think I get it,' Akamatsu mused. 'That was really risky, Iruma-san. Someone could have noticed them and ruined your plan. What would you do then?'

'Nobody would notice all of them, trust. I know my shit. I won this round, and I would win another! Oh also, the generator shit. That fuckin' scrawny moron almost blew it. He hung around there way too goddamn much. Guess the freak who locked us here didn't care. Or maybe he's the freak. Who fuckin' knows with that guy.'

'Wait,' Akamatsu said, raising her eyebrows. 'You cooperated with Ouma-kun, but you still think he might be the mastermind?'

'Honestly, nah. That almost seems too fuckin' obvious. Have ya ever noticed that he talks kinda like Monokuma? Anyway, I still think he's a weird little fuck, even if he's not responsible for this shit. I kept an eye of him the entire time and he's the weirdest guy I know.'

'That sounds right,' Akamatsu admitted. 'So all of that really was your doing... That makes sense. What I don't get is how you ended up at the trial room.'

'Just ended up there. Let's say we found a passage and it led there. That's what we were checkin'. It worked out well enough, though I was hopin' that we would find the goddamn exit. At least we made it in time for the shit to hit the fan.'

'A passage...? Where was it-' Akamatsu's face lit up with realisation. 'Oh, could it be-'

'Shhhhhhhhhhh,' Iruma hissed, pressing her finger against Akamatsu's lips. 'The walls have ears, dumbass! Don't go spilling shit like that, you fuckin' bitch.'

'Sorry,' Akamatsu murmured against the finger. She was sure that the connection she made was right. The passage was probably behind the curtain in the warehouse. That was the secret it was guarding. Was the mastermind aware that it existed? Perhaps they would never know. 'I see. Soo you just happened to find your way to the courtroom. You said that you heard some of it from your spot, right...?' she prompted cautiously.

'Yeah. We came early enough to hear the shitstorm between the aikidiot and the shortie. That was pretty fuckin' intense, considering that they were arguing over which of the two of us should be executed,' she scoffed. 'Clown prince of terrible fashion almost passed out when he heard what they said about him. He only started breathing when you stepped in, Bakamatsu. It was pretty damn hilarious. You were the only reason why we both survived that shit.'

Akamatsu bit the inside of her cheek. That must have been an awful conversation to overhear. She wouldn't blame Iruma or Ouma for changing their perception of their friends based on what they heard.

'It's about that time, ain't it?' Iruma mused, stretching her legs. Akamatsu couldn't make herself look away from the bare legs of the other woman. 'It's time to talk about Kiibs, Bakamatsu. You were tryna give me time before I had to talk about this shit so I could brace myself. I'm ready for this shit now, if you are.'

Akamatsu nodded, silently squeezing Iruma's hand.

'There goes nothin'. It's true that I was involved in his death. But that's only because he asked me to be and left me no choice but to help him,' Iruma whispered.

'Help him?' Akamatsu repeated. 'You mean, by lending him the sword?'

'That and other things.' Iruma paused, inhaled sharply, and continued. 'You didn't know Kiibs as well as I do. Nobody did. It makes sense that you wouldn't know half the shit that was going on with him. Kiibs had...a complex. Not at first, but I think that being around you freaks made him question shit. Mostly about life, and all that.'

'I remember...' Akamatsu mused. 'Kiibo-kun told me once that he's different from human beings, and living things in general. That must have been on his mind.'

'Yeah, that was some of it,' Iruma confirmed. 'Don't wanna get into all that. All you need to know is that he had a fixation on life and shit. He borrowed biology books from me 'cuz he was fascinated by this shit. I mean, I get it. I snatched the books for the same fuckin' reason, but it's different, 'cuz he didn't really...experience life. He existed, but he didn't live.'

'Yeah,' Akamatsu said softly.

'What followed that was something way more fucked up. He started thinking about death instead. That one is the fault of the purple shithead, by the by. He kept tryina get on Kiibs' nerves with his bullshit teasing, and one time he went off about what it would take to kill him or whatever. That made Kiibs question his existence, obviously. He was in the killing game, so he could die. But he couldn't, 'cuz he's not alive to begin with. See how that would fuck with him?'

'Yeah. So Kiibo-kun...wanted to die, to prove he was alive?' Akamatsu asked.

'No, dumbass. He wanted to die because he figured that his death would be different from a human's. He banked on the mastermind not knowing what to do about his death. He wanted to...help us, y'know. And fuck with the mastermind.'

'He was right. There was nothing about his injuries in the Monokuma File, because they couldn't figure out his anatomy. The outage also helped add to the confusion.' Akamatsu paused. 'Kiibo-kun destroyed his own charger, didn't he?'

'Huh?' Iruma was startled. 'How the fuck did you figure that one out?'

'That charger never made much sense to me. If someone destroyed it, they wouldn't have to kill him. The only option that I can see...is that he used it as a bargaining point of sorts You did say that he gave you no choice, right? So...'

Iruma bit her bottom lip. 'Yeah, you got it. That's exactly what happened. He insisted that if we really wanna mess with the mastermind, letting him die under mysterious circumstances was the way to go. I tried to argue with him, but he pulled the charger shit, and I knew that he was a goner no matter what I did.'

'That must have been rough,' Akamatsu whispered. 'But you didn't do anything wrong, okay? I can't imagine what Kiibo-kun was going through, but he seemed determined... I knew that he was thinking about stuff, but I never expected that he would commit suicide.'

Iruma's face scrunched up, but then her features softened. 'He was right in another way, too. See, because he's not human, there's shit that you can do with him that you wouldn't with any other corpse. Such as transfer his memories to a chip and keep it on you until you can insert it somewhere. Which is exactly what your favourite genius did,' she said, touching her chest. She revealed a necklace that Akamatsu hadn't noticed before. It was indeed a memory chip.

'That's...Kiibo-kun?' she whispered in awe. Partially because of the chip, but also because of Iruma's cleavage.

'It's gonna be once we get out of here and I rebuild him. Ya bet yer sweet ass that I will!' she said proudly. 'It might take a while, but fuck it, right? That's why I need you to not fuck this up, Bakamatsu! I will never fuckin' forgive ya if we lose!'

'I promise I won't,' Akamatsu said with a chuckle. 'I have just one more question. Why a sword?'

'I'm sure you can guess that if you guessed the charger shit,' Iruma challenged. 'C'mon, gimme your best shot, aight? It's not that hard to figure out.'

Akamatsu went silent, deep in thought. Not hard to figure out? That was relative. Regardless, she was still going to try. She hummed, closing her eyes. A sword, a body cut in half in the stomach area... Could it be...?

'Was Kiibo-kun trying to commit seppuku?!' she said finally, her eyes wide from the shock.

'I told ya it was easy. Yeah...he got it into his head that it was the best way to go. Think he was inspired by the starlord and his shitty wound. Whatever. He mastered some sorta technique that let him seppuku himself and drop the weapon. We figured that out somehow. Doesn't matter. And that's all ya need to know about the end of Kiibs.'

Akamatsu watched her in silence. Iruma sounded just as confident and abrasive as she always did, but this was the first time that it sounded obviously forced. She was clearly exhausted, which was hardly surprising, but the conversation brought to the forefront another thing that Akamatsu had been aware of for a while – but never was it this obvious.

What she sensed from Iruma at that moment was loneliness. 

It was not surprising in the slightest. What it was – was heartbreaking. Iruma had always put on the mask, the pose of unchallenged confidence, independence, superiority. She would hide behind sharp eyeliner, bright provocative clothes, vulgar language. Now that she lost the one person who was with her whenever she needed it, all of those things were washed away, too, revealing the vulnerable, lonely person Iruma Miu always was deep down.

The other thing Akamatsu realised as a consequence was as follows: she was now the person Iruma came to in order to cure her loneliness. She came to Akamatsu, with all her weaknesses, with her heart on her sleeve for the first time. Hell, everything about her behaviour since Akamatsu opened the door was a clear declaration of trust, vowen between the lines of her words and her body language.

Having realised all that, Akamatsu embraced Iruma gently but tightly. She pulled her into a warm, safe hug, without a word of protest from the other woman, who instead hid her face against her chest. 

_I'm here for you,_ the hug communicated. _I won't let you down now that you let me see your heart._

She didn't even realise when she fell asleep, her face buried in Iruma's hair. It was the most peaceful sleep she had had during the killing game.

When she woke up, Iruma wasn't there. She must have left pretty recently, because the bed was still vaguely warm on her side.

Akamatsu was sad, but not surprised. That moment of peace and safety couldn't last forever. Not while they were still trapped in this school.

She got out of the bed with a deep, regretful sigh. It was time to get ready for the final day. The investigation was going to be a challenge. The trial was going to be a battle for their lives. They couldn't count on the mastermind playing fair – not after the attempt on Iruma's life. She couldn't help but shudder at the memory. What would have happened if Iruma didn't have the taser? Would she have been unlawfully executed? Her heart sank at that thought.

She quickly washed her face and brushed her hair. Just in case, she decided to already pack spare clothes into her backpack. Who knew what kind of dangers awaited them outside? It was better to be prepared.

She also retrieved the notepad from under her pillow and, after debating it for a while, decided to put it in her backpack as well. Perhaps the notes would come in handy during the trial.

With that, she was all set. It was time to head to the cafeteria.

***

The only people she found in the cafeteria were Shirogane Tsumugi and Chabashira Tenko. Neither of them seemed to have slept well – and she couldn't blame them. She doubted that anybody got the right amount of sleep that night. Even she felt that if not for adrenaline from anticipating the big trial, she would have looked like a zombie herself. She must have stayed up till about three in the morning.

The women tried to make small talk, but their collective anxiety was all too obvious. Eventually, Tenko said that she was going to try to calm down by mediating in her room. Akamatsu offered to wash everyone's dishes – which was a way for her to feel somewhat normal and grounded. Which was exactly what she needed to kill time before the investigation.

She began washing a plate, humming to herself. Incredibly, it did help to take her mind off the horrific situation she was about to face.

'Akamatsu-san, could I talk to you for a second?' Shirogane asked nervously, approaching her as quietly and suddenly as always.

'Ah, Shirogane-san. What is it?' Akamatsu blinked, startled. She put away the plate she was washing and directed all her attention towards the other woman, who was pale with anxiety. 'Are you okay?' she asked with serious concern, wiping her hands in case Shirogane required physical support.

'R-remember when we agreed to share everything suspicious that we notice? Well, I noticed something that I need to tell you now, b-because…who knows if I'll get to once the investigation starts…' Shirogane stuttered, her hands shaking.

Akamatsu knit her eyebrows, making a serious expression. She nodded, indicating that she was listening carefully. 'I'm all ears, Shirogane-san. What did you see? Please, try to calm down!'

'So, um,' Shirogane whispered nervously, looking around to make sure that nobody was listening, 'it's about Iruma-san, actually.'

'Huh?' Akamatsu's eyebrows rode up her forehead. That was not at all what she expected. 'What about her?'

'K-keep in mind that I might be entirely wrong here, but, um…did you also think that something was off about Kiibo-kun' s trial…?' Shirogane looked up at her sheepishly, hoping for validation.

'Yeah,' Akamatsu said carefully, 'I thought something was up with the vote in particular…'

'Exactly!' Shirogane exclaimed, reflexively covered her mouth, looked around the cafeteria, and back at Akamatsu. 'Sorry, I'm just, uh, glad not to be alone in this…'

'What are you getting at…?' Akamatsu asked cautiously, feeling her legs shaking. 'I don't think we had the same impression at all…'

Shirogane leaned towards her ear and began speaking right into it: 'I think Iruma-san might be the mastermind.'

Akamatsu gasped. 'Huh?' She had the complete opposite impression of the trial. 'But the mastermind almost killed her! It's impossible that she would do that to herself!' she whispered sharply. Her heart was pounding.

'But they didn't execute her in the end, right? She survived the attempted execution. That's never happened before!' Shirogane insisted, her eyes sparkling feverishly. 'Isn't that…odd?'

'But…she wasn't the culprit… Kiibo-kun killed himself,' Akamatsu retorted firmly. 'That's the truth of the case. Executing her would have broken the rules. Monokuma had no right to even try to do that!'

'Mm-hmm, I took that into consideration,' Shirogane said, her voice shaking with emotion, 'but, the only person who said that is Iruma-san herself… Isn't that interesting? And she was definitely involved in that death and in the blackout and everything, so… We may never know for sure…'

'She wasn't the only one. I also said that. I'm sure it's true. Iruma-san came to me and explained all the details, and it all makes sense to me. I don't think that Monokuma's execution attempt was an act, either,' Akamatsu said firmly but gently, stroking Shirogane's shoulder. 'I know that we're all stressed before this final investigation, but suspecting each other isn't the solution, okay?'

Shirogane looked up at her apologetically. There was a hint of betrayal in her eyes, but it soon disappeared. 'I guess you're right, Akamatsu-san… Maybe I'm just overthinking it… But one of us must be the mastermind, right? So…shouldn't we be cautious and not trust everything people say? I-I trust you, of course, but the others…'

Akamatsu took a deep breath. That was something she didn't want to confront the reality of just yet. The mastermind's identity. 'That's still not a reason to let yourself succumb to the paranoia. We don't know enough yet anyway. Let's try to stay positive for now! I'm sure everyone else is just as anxious as you are, and that's exactly what Monokuma wants right now. For us to doubt each other and start fighting again.'

Shirogane didn't seem fully convinced, but she nodded her head. 'You're so level-headed, Akamatsu-san. No wonder you brought everyone in the group together! I believe that under your lead, we will beat the mastermind and escape! Ah, I hope the investigation will go well…I will still keep an eye on Iruma-san, though. I will let you know if I notice her doing anything suspicious!'

With that, she excused herself.

Akamatsu was left with her own thoughts.

Was she really…level-headed? She was trying to be, certainly, in the midst of the chaos of the killing game. But, could she say she reached that state when she felt herself being on the verge of a breakdown, when she decided not to think about certain things until she absolutely had to?

Seeking the truth at all costs sounded good in theory, indeed, it sounded noble, but it was hard to do in practice. She was only human, and the reality of being judge, jury and executioner during trials was undeniably taking its toll on her.

Each investigation, each trial, even each day spent in this horrific school was a constant battle between many sides of her: denial and truth-seeking, the heart and the mind, the just and the merciful. She couldn't even find relief in the fact that it would be over soon, because it came at a cost of discovering which of her friends had betrayed her, and then promptly executing them.

She clenched her fists and looked at the clock in the cafeteria. She still had some time before noon. She might as well use it to play the piano for her fallen friends one last time.

Having regained her determination, she headed upstairs and entered the music room, excited to play for the final time.

There, she screamed. The piano had been smashed to pieces. Parts of it appeared to have been burnt. She touched it carefully with a soft gasp.

Who…? Who could have done that?! And why? Why would they violate an innocent, beautiful musical instrument? Was it spite for her specifically? Did someone destroy it just because they expected her to come here to calm down, and didn't want to allow her that one moment of peace?

'I see you wanted to play the piano before your inevitable death,' Monokuma’s voice said behind her. She turned towards the bear, furious.

'You…! Did you do this?' she asked through gritted teeth, taking a step towards him.

'Maybe. What does it matter to you? It's not your piano. It belongs to the school, which means that as the headmaster, I can do whatever the hell I want with it!' Monokuma mocked her with a disgusting grin.

Akamatsu clenched her fists. She took a deep breath. Then another. And one more.

That was it, she thought. She really couldn't save a piano from a burning building. Or a burning piano from any building, for that matter. What a joke…

'You're right!' she said with forced chipperness. 'My piano is waiting for me at home, where I will return in a few hours. This one doesn't matter at all!' she raised her voice emphatically.

Monokuma was silent. That probably wasn't the reaction he had expected from her. 'Well, whatever,' he said finally. 'I'll see you in the gym in ten minutes. It's going to be interesting, upupu…'

With that, he disappeared.

Akamatsu knelt down next to the remains of the piano. It wasn't like she wasn't upset - tears were forcing their way into her eyes already - but at the same time, it felt disrespectful to mourn the piano when so many of her friends had lost their lives.

The clay sculptures created by Angie were scattered on the floor around the piano, asif they were put down there so they could watch the piano get destroyed. As Akamatsu picked them up one by one and put them in her backpack, she recalled all the memories of the times she had spent with those people, and the tears started rolling down her cheeks without a sound.

Angie herself…joined her at this very piano after the cruel game had taken Yumeno and Shinguuji away from her. They sat and mourned together without saying a word. Why did she have to die just a few days later? Why did that beautiful moment not convince Akamatsu that she wasn't an enemy? It was clear as day in hindsight!

Kiibo, if he hadn't sacrificed himself, would be practicing with her right now, just like they promised. His singing would get more and more confident, and he would perform for Tenko, wearing an outfit designed by Shirogane.

Tap. Tap. Tap. The tears kept falling.

It was difficult to come to terms with the fact that so many of her dear friends were dead, and that their remains and belongings would stay in this school even after the survivors would make it out of the final trial, ultimately making this school one huge grave for ten people…

Wait, wasn't it eleven? Monokuma said that Shinguuji's sister also died here before the killing game started. She couldn't help but wonder what that woman was like and why she died. Was it just her illness that ended up taking her life?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the announcement going off above her head.

'Hey, you bastards, it's time for round two! Gather in the gym right now if you wanna hear the rules of the investigation!'

Akamatsu got up from her knees and wiped her face with her sleeve. Luckily, she managed to grab all the sculptures. This way, she was not just going to let her friends' memories be forgotten, buried in this strange school.

***

Everyone gathered at the gym rather quickly. Many people had already been lurking in the hall before, waiting for the announcement. Akamatsu was the second to last person to arrive, with Ouma closing the lineup. The door to the gym closed right behind him.

Now all they could do was wait.

Akamatsu looked around. With only six people left, the gym looked intimidating and huge. The final six had an equally intimidating and huge task ahead of them - ending the killing game or perishing.

Then, she felt a warm hand grab hers and squeeze it. She instinctively squeezed back before looking to check who it was.

Chabashira Tenko, with a kind smile on her worried but confident face. Everything about her told Akamatsu that she wasn't alone - no matter what happens.

About half a foot away from her, Ouma and Hoshi were standing and talking. It seemed like any tension that may have formed as a result of the trial had already disappeared, as Hoshi watched Ouma from behind semi-closed eyelids - like a satisfied cat.

Iruma was standing behind Tenko and Akamatsu. She was biting her bottom lip, as if trying not to cry. She kept touching the chip necklace to make sure it was still there, like a talisman. Akamatsu understood that rather well. She smiled at Iruma, hoping that she would notice and feel the same warmth that Tenko's hand made Akamatsu feel.

Shirogane was standing off to the side, hugging herself. Her face was green with worry, but she smiled weakly once her eyes met Akamatsu's. Despite everything, she was still trying her best not to succumb to paranoia.

'How are you doing, you bastards?' Monokuma's voice called out to them, killing all casual conversations - and immediately making the atmosphere tense with uncertainty and fear.

'Just great, thanks!' Ouma chirped. 'How does it feel to be a loser, Mo-no-ku-ma?' he sang, balancing on his heels.

'Ouma-kun, are you sure you want to provoke me now? That's not really what I would recommend,' Monokuma said coldly. 'Do you want your time to investigate to be cut? Or should I execute you already?'

'Wow, somebody is compensating!' Ouma remarked, scrunching up his nose.

'C-could you tell us the rules, p-please?' Shirogane chimed in, trying to calm down Monokuma, who seemed extremely short-tempered after the failure that was the previous trial.

'I will give you bastards instructions only once, so you better pay attention. Once the investigation starts, I will be too busy supervising you to answer any questions anyway, so you're fucked! Are you bastards ready?'

'Bring it the fuck on already!' Iruma demanded, stepping forward. Akamatsu touched her shoulder supportively.

'Okay, listen up! The rules of the final investigation!' Monokuma exclaimed, using his paws like a megaphone.

Akamatsu focused on the bear so as not to miss a single word. Her entire body was tense with anticipation.

The rules of the investigation went as follows:  
The investigation will be at least two hours long. The decision as to when exactly it will end is Monokuma’s alone.  
The participants are allowed to investigate any area they can access. That includes the newly opened and previously unavailable parts of the school, such as the infirmary and the archive.  
The participants are not allowed to take documents with them. After examination, they must be put back where they came from so that the other participants get the chance to investigate them as well. You can take notes if you really want,  
Don't steal the bodies, either.  
Destroying school property to access an area is not allowed. That includes making the cameras unusable, Iruma-san!  
And finally, never forget that the only human beings who entered the school are the sixteen participants of the killing game. Thus, the mastermind is amongst you. Have fun with that!

'Any questions?' Monokuma asked. Akamatsu raised her hand.

'You said that the only people who entered the school are us sixteen,' she said, 'but didn't you say Shinguuji-kun's sister died here?'

'I guess I have to tell you, after all… Good memory, Akamatsu-san. Shinguuji-kun's sister technically never entered the school. She was only used as a subject to test the execution system. Are you happy now, Akamatsu-san? She's not included as a participant. Never was.'

Akamatsu gasped. So that was it. She wasn't sure if asking about it was the right call, but at least she could definitely cross that person out of the list of suspects.

'Any other questions?' Monokuma prompted.

Nobody said anything. Tense silence filled the gym.

'Then go, you bastards! Go if you think that you can challenge me! We'll see how well you can use the information I gave you for the sake of fairness! Upupupupupu!' Monokuma cackled with confidence and contempt.

With that, he disappeared, and the timer started.

CHAPTER 6: WANNA TAKE AIM AT EACH OTHER?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we've reached chapter 6. I still can't believe that we got this far. There are only a few chapters left and I'm nervous.
> 
> A few thing: the next chapter is obviously the investigation. The areas we'll be able to investigate include: the dorms, the infirmary, the archive (the ??? area in the basement), and the desks in the principal's office. Akamatsu might not be able to personally investigate everything herself, so if there's anything you guys think she should prioritize, feel free to mention it. And yes, we're going to finally go into Amami's room. Are you excited?
> 
> Also a note: it was a good choice to befriend Iruma and Ouma through FTEs. Akamatsu's relationship with them really mattered in the trial, and the outcome might have been less fortunate if we had ignored them until now.


	52. Chapter 6: Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise in advance. Just for everything. I had health problems so I just pray I covered everything I had to. Here goes.

_Beep. Beep beep beep beep beep._ The sound of notifications going off in everyone's pockets. Akamatsu reached for her ID to see what it was. The rules of the final investigation. Monokuma must have decided that it was more convenient to send them to everyone instead of giving them possible deniability in case they 'forgot' a rule.

As far as she could tell, the rules were more or less what Monokuma had told them, anyway. Under them was a list of locations that they now had access to. She examined them closely. With only two hours of guaranteed time to investigate, she had no time to waste fumbling around, so deciding on a route might have been the way to go.

The locations were as follows:  
The dorms of the deceased. (Monokuma finally managed to open them)  
The principal's office and teachers' room, including the desks this time.  
The infirmary. (Don't touch the bodies!)  
The archive. (Don't steal documents!)

The archive...? Akamatsu knit her eyebrows. She had no clue what the archive contained, but it must have been the mysterious room in the basement. It was an enticing idea to start there, but she had a different obligation that she desperately wanted to get out of the way first...

'Hey, Akamatsu-chan, what's the plan for ya?' Ouma's cheerful voice asked suddenly. 'Oops, doesn''t matter. Let's hang out in the art room, okay? Quarter to one sounds good?'

Akamatsu blinked, struggling to process the offer. She glanced at the clock – it was 12:10. That meant Monokuma's speech about rules took about ten minutes. The investigation wasn't going to end until at least 14:15... 'In the art room in about half hour? I guess I'll try to make it, but I might be late. Why?'

Ouma brought his finger up to his lips and sprinted out of the gym. Akamatsu shook her head, sighing deeply. She had no choice but to try and make it in time. She probably had more than enough to examine *that place*... Having decided on that, she quickly headed towards the dorms.

If all the dorms of the deceased were now open, that meant that she was finally going to get to carry out Amami's last will. It took her three weeks or so, yes, but...she was still relieved to be able to do that. And his notes were going to come in handy now more than ever.

On her way to his dorm, she stopped in front of Kiibo's door first. There was nothing she wanted to check inside there. Kiibo spent most of his time in the warehouse, cafeteria and laundry room rather than his own room. The charger was probably hidden there for safety reasons.

Akamatsu couldn't imagine what Kiibo was going through. His conviction was equal parts admirable and terrifying. He wanted to sacrifice his own life for the sake of everyone else. To give them a chance of survival – a slim, risky chance, but one nonetheless! In the end, his quest for purpose, for meaning, ended in death. He decided that his purpose was to help humans at all costs. Was it really fair to accept that sacrifice? The sacrifice of everything he learned from them over the course of the killing game?

Akamatsu clenched her fists. She needed to make sure that all of them can escape. Firstly, so Kiibo's sacrifice doesn't end up being in vain. Secondly, so they can find a way to plug his memory chip into something!

Finally, she entered Amami's dorm. It was eerily quiet. There were no specific decorations in the room, nothing to distinguish it from the others. After being abandoned for so long, it didn't feel like anybody ever lived there at all.

She had no time to waste. The priority was finding his notepad. Luckily, there were only a few places where it realistically could have been hidden.

She checked under the pillow. Bullseye! She heard the rustling of paper underneath her fingers. Carefully, she pulled it out and pressed it against her chest, sighing with relief. Her heart was pounding. It was necessary – but difficult – to stay calm. She couldn't let herself miss anything.

A look at the notepad. There was some writing on it – messy, rushed writing, as if he was in a hurry to get it out. It was easy to tell – she recognised that because of the similarity to her own notes.

The contents of the notepad were as follows (as far as she could tell):  
_'This is Amami Rantarou. I don't know what's going to happen to me or these notes, but maybe they will help someone after I die. Will I die? At this rate, probably._  
To recap, we woke up in this strange school and were thrown into a killing game. So far, we've been on the right track to staying alive, despite it all. We owe that to Akamatsu Kaede. She's insistent on making us work together – and I really think it might work in the long run.  
Not for me, though. I think I'm going to die pretty soon. I'll be surprised if I don't.  
I don't think the memory procedure worked on me as well as it did on the others.  
I recognise one person here. A person who hates me. If I'm right...they will get me killed if they notice I recognised them.  
I don't have any proof that they're responsible for it. It's still weird to see them here, though.  
Maybe writing this is a mistake. But I know that at this rate they hate me so much they might kill me anyway (haha). This way I can at least hope somebody will know.  
Akamatsu, if you're the one reading this...take this game down for me, will you? Be careful around the club president, haha. And anyone who tries to make you give up on your goal. I'm sure that working together is your only chance. Be very, very careful. I'm with you in spirit.  
PS Do you recall Battle Royale?'

Akamatsu blinked in confusion. The note gave her a lot of details to process. It was also more cryptic than she had hoped. Somehow, the fact Amami addressed her by name was the least surprising thing about it – he must have planned for her to find it from the start. It was kind of touching, in a way, to know that she made herself this trustworthy in his eyes. 

Then again, if that's the case, why didn't he just take her aside and tell her? It wasn't like they weren't openly friendly...so having a hush-hush conversation wasn't anything that suspicious, right? And she wouldn't have told a soul about any of it! Then...?

Her heart skipped a beat. Oh, that made sense. It was just an incredibly sad truth to arrive at. If the mysterious person was suspicious of Amami, and if that person was the mastermind or a traitor, they would get suspicious of anything like that. Now that Akamatsu thought about it, he only ever talked to her in 'public' spaces, mostly the cafeteria. There was no opportunity to bring it up, and he probably wouldn't anyway, so as not to endanger her. Even him telling her his last will was risky, but the mastermind probably couldn't tell what he told her.

That said, even this message was vague, probably for safety reasons. Who could be the person who hated him? She never noticed any tension between him and anybody else, except perhaps for Momota. But it couldn't possibly have been about him, right? Was the 'club president' the person who hated him? Regardless, she could only guess who it was...

...It must have been the person who manipulated Gonta into attacking him. Instead of doing it on their own, they used poor Gonta to get rid of Amami. Was the manipulator also the mastermind? If that was the case, they couldn't risk being found out and executed, so taking advantage of Gonta's personality must have been convenient for them. How heinous... How disgusting to use him like that. She couldn't help but wonder how the game would progress if Amami hadn't defended himself and died by Gonta's hands. Would Gonta break down and confess that he was convinced that Amami was the mastermind? That, too, posed a risk for the actual mastermind...they really must have wanted Amami gone at all costs.

Her eyes scanned the note in search of any other important details to remember for the trial. What stuck out to her the most was the tone of the note. The casual acknowledgement that he was going to die...was quite unsettling. Was he really okay with it? It was consistent with his attitude towards being accused. He seemed completely unaffected until the very last moment. But...in a way, the note read as anxious, which she never felt from him while he was alive. He always seemed so calm, dependable...

...Was she just oblivious to his pain and anxiety? Or did she just forget about it?

The postscript... 'Battle Royale' were words that sounded familiar in a vague way. What was that? If he was bringing it up, it must have been an important sort of code he hoped she would respond to. All she could do was remember the words and hope that they would make sense later when coupled with more evidence. Hopefully some documents or something...

With a sigh, she put the notepad back under the pillow. She reluctantly left the room, wondering who the club president could have been. What kind of club, even?

...Was it, perhaps, a school club? Could it possibly be where the recording from her CD was registered? So many questions, so many things that could be connected or completely random...

Deep in thought, she ran into Shirogane, who had just stepped off the stairs. She was pale and sweating profusely, her hands shaking. She calmed down somewhat when she saw Akamatsu, but still had trouble catching her breath.

'Akamatsu-san, thank goodness! I was hoping to run into you!' Shirogane exclaimed, looking down into her eyes anxiously. Her hands grabbed Akamatsu's shoulders.

'What happened?' Akamatsu asked, confused and concerned. 'Did you find something up there?'

'Did I ever! I confirmed my theory!' Shirogane informed, her eyes shifting around. 'O-obviously I couldn't bring it here, so you will have to see for yourself, but you will see I was right!'

'Wait, what...?' Akamatsu felt her heart drop. 'What did you confirm? Is it about Iruma-san...?'

'See for yourself!' Shirogane insisted, sweating profusely. 'I'm sure you will see what I mean once you look inside the desks...! Oh, it all makes too much sense...' she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Akamatsu felt sorry for her, gently patting her back in a mechanical display of support. 'Look, Shirogane-san, you have to calm down, okay? I'll go and look at everything in the desks, I promise, but first you should get some water, maybe medication? You have to stay strong until the end, Shirogane-san!' she said, gently cupping her cheeks, causing Shirogane to flush. 'We have to stay calm to take down the mastermind, okay? And uh,' she added diplomatically, 'it'd be unwise to let Iruma-san know you're onto her, right? She might be listening.' Akamatsu felt dirty saying that, even if it was just to calm Shirogane down. 

The cosplayer nodded, her face twisting into a frown. 'You're absolutely right, Akamatsu-san. I will grab a bottle of water from the vending machine...and try to remain calm. I will see you later! Please, do your best in my stead for now! We can do this!' she exclaimed, coughed into her hand, and headed to the school store.

Akamatsu could only hope that she was going to be alright. She'd been worried about Shirogane for a while now that she seemed more unstable than both Iruma and Tenko. She was tempted to stay with her, but investigating the school was a bigger priority at the moment. After it was all over...she believed that all of them would stick together and heal. That reality was so close...

She checked the clock. It was almost time to meet up with Ouma in the art room. It probably wasn't going to take all that long, so she decided to go there on the way to the principal's office. That's not to say that she didn't think that Shirogane's discovery was urgent – she simply was equally curious about the business Ouma had with her. Hopefully it wasn't just a prank...

On her way onto the third floor, she couldn't help but look at the plant in the hall with a sense of longing. On the other hand, she avoided looking at the music room. It hurt too much now.

She arrived on the third floor at exactly 12:45 and entered the art room.

Ouma was nowhere to be found. Was it a prank after all? Akamatsu felt a wave of anger approach.

'Akamatsu-chan, you're late! Nishishi~' Ouma's voice called out to her. Where...was he?

It took her a moment to notice that he was behind the door leading to the dark room, which he had cracked open just barely – enough for her to notice his hand waving at her. She heaved a resigned sign and walked towards him.

'Ouma-kun, this is not the time for stuff like that,' she scolded once they were both in the dimly lit hall between the art room and the dark room. She hadn't been there in ages.

'Aw, no time? That sucks, because I wanted to let you in on a little secret. Buuuuut if you don't have time for me, then I guess I'll keep it to myself,' he teased, looking down at his fingernails. 'Such a shame, really, it was a pretty neat secret. Nishishi!'

Akamatsu rubbed her temples. 'Okay, I'm sorry for jumping the gun. I just thought you were messing with me. What's the secret? Please, tell me,' she said apologetically.

'Hmmm...I guess I can tell you. Orrrrr I can make you work for it,' he mused, grinning up at her.

'Ouma-kun, why do you have to make things harder? I'm stressed enough already, could you give me a break?' She was too exhausted to play along with him or humour him at all.

'Maybe the reason why I'm doing this is that...I'm the mastermind? That would be a twist, nishishi.'

'Huh, what? No, you're not!' Akamatsu protested, shaking her head with conviction.

'...You're right, that was a lie! You didn't buy that even for a second, huh? Oh well, the real reason is that I wanted to show you where Iruma-chan and I designed all that stuff.'

'Right here?' she looked around in confusion. 'Why in the dark room?'

'You know how there are no cameras in the changing rooms?' he asked, narrowing his catlike eyes at her. 'There are no cameras in this room either. I triple checked and so did Iruma-chan. Isn't that fun? Obviously, the mastermind still knows we went over here from the art room, but they can't see or hear us now. So if there's anything you wanna tell me, now's the time!'

His eyes dug into her in anticipation. She didn't avoid eye contact, looking right at him. 'Are you expecting me to confess something?' she asked firmly, gauging his reaction.

'Your passionate feelings for me,' he said sarcastically. 'I dunno. You look like you want to say something. You talked to Iruma-chan, didn't you? We could talk about that. Or Kiiboy. Anything.'

Akamatsu thought about it. His offer was clear: this is your only chance to talk to me honestly; take it or leave it. 'Iruma-san did talk to me. According to what she said, your teasing is the reason why Kiibo-kun ended up like that. How do you feel about that?'

Ouma's smile dropped. He shrugged. 'If you're trying to make me feel guilty, that's not going to work. Anything else you want to talk about? I only have like five minutes to spare for you.'

Akamatsu sighed. 'Just one thing, maybe. Why did you co-operate with Iruma-san?'

'Not because I like her, that's for sure. Unfortunately for me, nobody else could help me make all that stuff. Though, Iruma-chan refused to help me with the laser gun,' he complained. 'But that's not what you're asking. You're asking if I trust Iruma-chan or not. The answer is...maybe? Nishishi!'

'Hmmm...that's about what I expected,' Akamatsu admitted sadly.

'She'd make a good mastermind. I would almost respect that, you know? She's gross enough already! I like that in a villain,' he mused, playing with his cloak. 

'Were you scared that you would die?' Akamatsu asked, ignoring his words. He looked into her eyes with a soft smile on his lips. He seemed hesitant to answer honestly.

'Scared? Akamatsu-chan, don't be silly. I almost died like five different times in this game. Besides, supreme leaders aren't scared of anything. What kind of leader would I be if I was scared to de for a prank? It was a pretty good prank, too.' He grinned. 'That was a lie. I've never been more scared.'

'Even without the cameras, you still can't be honest, huh?' Akamatsu remarked. 'I'm going to be, then. You're a good person, mister supreme leader. Stop trying to pretend you're not.'

'Gross,' Ouma said immediately, sticking out his tongue. 'Your standards are slipping, Akamatsu-chan. Anyway, I gotta go. Seven minutes in heaven are over. I'll catch you later! ...Maybe!'

Having said that, he went ahead and left. Akamatsu followed him out and headed upstairs. It was time to check out what Shirogane was talking about, as well as whatever else there was to investigate up there. She couldn't imagine what it was, but...did it really implicate Iruma?

'Bakamatsu,' Iruma's voice called out to her. She was standing in front of the staircase, frozen as if she was surprised to see Akamatsu. 'Hey, got a minute? I forgot to tell ya something and I wanna get it out while I can. Shoulda done it ages ago...'

Akamatsu gulped. 'Yeah, sure! I'll listen to whatever you have to say!' she assured.

'Remember how I said I know who knocked out Saihara? I'm tired of hiding that shit. It was me. Before you freak out, it's really not a big fuckin' deal, okay?' Her eyes begged for the benefit of the doubt. They seemed genuine enough... Akamatsu nodded.

'Don't worry, Iruma-san, I believe you. But, then...what happened...?' she asked cautiously.

'The short story is that I was workin' in the warehouse and thought I heard somethin'. I grabbed a pipe and went to investigate. Y'know, as you do. I noticed someone snoopin' around so I hit 'em... In hindsight, it was probably dumb of me to do that, but I freaked out. He passed out, but I don't think he saw me before he did. I carried him to the nearest room and went back to work.' Iruma shrugged. 'I figured I'd tell you before the trial, just in case.'

Akamatsu looked into her eyes. 'Thank you,' she said, nodding her head. 'I definitely feel better knowing what really happen. It's almost a funny story.'

'Oh, it's fuckin' hilarious. Anyway, gotta get going. Not gonna hold ya up any longer, Bakamatsu.'

Akamatsu nodded and headed towards the teaches' room and principal's office.

***

Most of what she found in the teachers' room were things that didn't seem all that helpful. Most of the desks contained spare keys – for the dorm rooms and the lockers. Presumably if this were a normal school, the students would have to contact the teachers for spares.

The one thing of note – one that made her shudder when she examined it – was a list. Specifically, it was a list of names. Even more specifically, it was a list of their names. The names of the participants of the killing game.

The title at the top of the page read 'Battle Royale Club.' That...might have been the 'battle royale' Amami was referring to, right. Except...

...his name wasn't on the list. Instead, along with Kiibo's, it was under 'extra.' What could that mean? Extra what? Did that mean that everyone else was in the club? Why were the other two included, then? It was all so confusing, but it seemed relevant.

Having found nothing else of note, she decided to move over to the principal's office.

The contents of the office were mostly documents relating to everything inside in the school – such as everything kept in the warehouse and the food storage, as well as sports equipment.

Notably, there was no documentation regarding clothes.

The most alarming piece of documentation, though...related to Monokuma himself. There were design notes, as well as sketches, revealing details about the way the bear functioned. Because of the technical jargon, Akamatsu couldn't understand everything about it, but she noted the mention of incredibly advanced AI and resitance to water.

The most sinister detail, though, was hidden in the corner of the page, as if taunting her. 

Designer signature: Iruma Miu.

Akamatsu dropped the piece of paper due to the shakiness of her hands. She quickly picked it back up.

There...must be an explanation, right? Other than the worst one? The one that she desperately didn't want to accept?

She breathed in and out and put the document back where she'd taken it from. There was no time to get caught up in just one thing when there was so much left to explore. She couldn't let herself become overwhelmed by paranoia and suspicion, like Shirogane was.

***

Akamatsu headed down to the basement. There was a lot to investigate there, and she had to check out as much as possible before time was up. The archive fascinated her in particular, but she decided to quickly check out the infirmary on the way before going there.

Indeed, the door right next to the staircase, that was previously locked, was now available for investigation. The kanji for the word 'infirmary' were written on it just like she had thought. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The scene unfolding inside the infirmary was not what she expected, though, to be entirely fair, she didn't expect much in particular, save perhaps for a few freezers containing dead bodies (which, to be fair, were indeed also in the back of the room).

In the centre of the room, however, there were two people standing together. One of them was Chabashira Tenko. The other was Hoshi Ryouma. While the former didn't react to the door being opened at all, the latter looked in Akamatsu's direction. He smiled calmly at her.

'Hey, Akamatsu. You wanted to say goodbye to someone, too?' he asked in a gentle voice. Tenko raised her head and glanced at Akamatsu. Her eyes were noticeably wet and red. She must have been crying for a while, and nobody could blame her for that, all things considered.

'Yeah,' Akamatsu confirmed, coming closer. She actually wasn't consciously thinking about seeing her fallen friends for the last time, but now that the opportunity presented itself, she took a closer look. She simply hoped that her emotions wouldn't betray her.

The bodies were stored in special freezers, labelled with their names, printed out on the same kind of stickers that were stuck on the motive envelopes. The only exception was Kiibo, whose body was stored in a cardboard box, two halves separately. To be fair, he didn't have to be preserved in any specific way, but it still seemed like a disrespectful move.

Her eyes scanned the names in order, remembering how each person died as she went. It was hard not to cry. She couldn't blame Tenko at all, now that she was overwhelmed by memories and guilt herself. Why couldn't she have saved all of these people?

Gokuhara Gonta. Stabbed in the chest after he mistakenly attacked Amami Rantarou.

Amami Rantarou. Executed by Monokuma. Shot in the head.

Yumeno Himiko. Tied to a pole and suffocated by Shinguuji Korekiyo.

Saihara Shuuichi. Smothered with a pillow in his sleep by Toujou Kirumi.

Shinguuji Korekiyo. Executed by Monokuma. Boiled alive.

Yonaga Angie. Stabbed in the back of the head with a metal hook by Toujou Kirumi.

Toujou Kirumi. Executed by Monokuma. Fell to her death.

Momota Kaito. Stabbed in the back of the neck after having his stomach sliced open by Harukawa Maki.

Harukawa Maki. Executed by Monokuma. Exploded.

And of course, Kiibo. Suicide.

Tears were rolling down Akamatsu's cheeks without a sound. Just as suddenly as they came, they stopped. She glanced at Tenko, who was sniffling. Hoshi was quietly standing at a comfortable distance away from her - both not to disturb her and to avoid accusations of being too close to her as a menace. He glanced at Akamatsu, who had already stopped crying.

'How are you doing, Akamatsu? Everything okay?' he asked cautiously.

'More or less,' she said vaguely. 'I've been…stressed. I believe that we're going to get out of here, and I want to know the truth, but…'

'But you might not like it, and that scares you,' he mused with a knowing smile.

'Yeah,' she whispered, thinking about the documents she had seen upstairs, and whatever awaited her in the archive.

'You won't like it,' Hoshi assured. 'No matter what it is, you won't like it. But you already know that. You don't need me to tell you so. Listen,' he said sincerely, turning towards her, 'it's not going to be easy. But we've come this far mostly thanks to you. At this rate, even I believe in a happy ending to this nightmare. It will hurt. But, didn't the rest of this mess? You'll make it out okay, Akamatsu.'

'You really believe in me. That's the most flattering thing I've ever been told,' Akamatsu said, smiling weakly.

'I don't have anything else left,' Hoshi muttered.

'Kaede-san,' Tenko said suddenly, 'Tenko thinks you should investigate other places right now. Tenko will do her best to investigate this place with Hoshi-san. She…needed time to pull herself together, but she is ready now.'

'I agree with that. You can count on us. You should check out the archive if you haven't already,' Hoshi suggested. 'We investigated there for a bit but it's too much for just two people to handle.'

Akamatsu's eyes met theirs. Tenko's were expressing a request from the bottom of her heart. Hoshi's were simply encouraging.

They were both right. The archive, if it contained what she thought it contained, was definitely a top priority to investigate before the investigation was over.

'Alright. I'm counting on you to make sure everything in the infirmary is fine,' she said finally, sending them a final smile of support.

Finally, she headed towards the archive - the room at the end of the hall. Seeing the mysterious door she had spent hours and hours wondering about finally unlock gave her a weird feeling. Her heart was beating fast. What was waiting there? A hidden exit?

She opened the door and gasped.

The archive indeed resembled what one would think of as an archive - filled with binders containing documents of all sorts. Too many documents to sort through on your own. It would take days to read everything that was surely written in those documents.

Akamatsu clenched her fists. She was going to read as much as she could before the time was up.

'Hello, Akamatsu-chan, we meet again!' Ouma's voice called out from somewhere to her right. 'I was just reading your file. I hope you won't mind? That was a lie! I don't care.'

Akamatsu shook her head with a semi-amused smile. 'I don't mind,' she assured. 'You gave me yours to read, after all.'

Ouma pouted. 'You're no fun to mess with when you're like this. Booo-ring.'

'Sorry,I'll be more fun once we get out of here!' she assured with a chuckle, grabbing a binder labelled 'Amami Rantarou' and another labelled 'Yonaga Angie'. The choices were arbitrary - simply the people who were on her mind the most at the moment. There was still plenty of time before the time was up, so she didn't have to be picky yet. The clock in the archive said it was barely after half past one. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed Iruma's file as well. Just…out of simple curiosity.

First, she opened Angie's file. It was the same kind as the files that were used as motives in the second half of the game.

'Yonaga Angie, the Super High School Level artist, is a curious case. Half-Japanese on her father's side, she grew up on her mother's native island.

As a child, she had two defining traits: her love for the arts, and her religious devotion. In the culture she grew up in, both art and spirituality were important, but her interest in them could be seen as extraordinary.

Her art style evolved quite a lot overtime, ranging from abstract finger paintings to uncanny hyper realistic portraits. She always claimed that she was but a vessel for God to create art through. For that, she was rather respected, although many feared her skill.

On the other hand, her spirituality could be seen as a unique phenomenon. She claimed to be so in tune with the universe that she could predict the weather - and she did so, always accurately. At times, she would also suggest performing certain rituals to influence the weather. Those, too, usually worked.

Eventually, she predicted that the island was going to be destroyed. Close proximity to an active volcano made that claim somewhat plausible,but not everybody believed it. She and those who believed her evacuated the island - to be specific, she was sent to Japan, the country of her father, so she could study there. She was accepted into a prestigious school for her talent as an artist.

The island was indeed destroyed by a volcanic eruption.

The programme ('killing game') will be an interesting environment for her. She will not remember coming to Japan. It is unknown, based on her history, if she will miss the island she spent her childhood on. It might also be important to note her claim of being in tune with the universe, as well as her correct predictions in the past.'

So...Angie's island didn't exist anymore. She had nowhere to come back to. That sounded so cruel! She must have missed home, but she was never going to come back there.

Shaking her head, Akamatsu opened Irumai's file. Her hands were shaking ever so slightly.

'Iruma Miu, also known as the Super High School Level Inventor. In her teenage years, she was a rather unremarkable, even shy, person. She was known as a very sensitive girl who cried at the prospect of confrontation. It is believed that her classmates took advantage of that in many ways.

All of that changed when, on her way to school one day, she got into a mysterious car accident that put her into a coma for six months at the age of fifteen and a half. It is unknown what kind of neurological differences occurred in her brain due to the trauma.

When she woke up, her personality had noticeably changed. While at first she was more aloof than before, once she got out of the hospital she was staying in and returned to school, her classmates noted that she became more aggressive and abrasive, a radical change from the meek, nervous girl she used to be. As such, her relationship with them changed. She still didn't make any friends in high school, but the bullying wasn't as common.

The other change brought on by the coma and recovery was that it seemed to have awakened her talent. She got to work the instant she was allowed to go home. Her breakthrough invention, eyedrop contact lenses, became a sensation, and brought her to the attention of many sponsors, investors, and prestigious schools (one of which she enrolled in at the age of seventeen. According to our knowledge, she kept her abrasive personality, but it did not seem to repel people quite as much).

That, however, is far from her most ambitious invention, as she would always remark herself whenever the liquid lenses were brought up in a conversation. The work she found more important was related to performing actions in one sleep. Another invention she secretly worked on was a type of robotic AI with a high level of loyalty and emotional intelligence. The AI was utilized by her in two projects: one of them is Monokuma, the other is another participant of the programme ('killing game'), Kiibo.

Due to the process of memory erasure used for the programme, the two participants will not be aware of the relationship with each other. However, it is highly probable that despite the lack of a conscious personal bond, Iruma Miu will strive to upgrade her project over the course of the game. We look forward to the ways in which her talent might benefit her during the killing game.

Note: please, pay extra attention to her.'

Akamatsu was speechless. She stared at the document with her mind wide agape. Ouma, who was still reading someone else's file, glanced at her curiously, but didn't say anything.

Kiibo…was created by Iruma, too? In a twisted way, that made sense. They were so close, and Iruma knew him inside out. But…creating such a complicated machine was a feat. If anybody was capable of it, the golden girl genius was definitely a plausible option.

Was that…why he was in the killing game? Due to his connection with Iruma? He never got to find out who his creator was. Would he still want to die if he knew Iruma was his creator? Would Iruma let him die if she knew?

In that moment, Akamatsu realised that the answer would most likely be an even stronger yes. Kiibo already trusted Iruma to keep his memory chip and rebuild him. Knowing that she had already built him once was reassuring in that sense - it gave hope that she could do it again, even better this time.

Akamatsu decided to ask Iruma about it whenever she saw it again. Did Iruma read her own file? One could only hope that she wasn't going to have a breakdown again.

Akamatsu opened Amami's file. She was more alert than ever.

'Amami Rantarou, also known as Super High School Level ????. There is not much to be said about that young man. He does not have a Super High School Level talent, and doesn't seem to possess any notable skills.

His family situation is the most peculiar piece of information related to him. As the firstborn in his family, he is the elder brother to his many stepsisters. One of them disappeared under mysterious circumstances when he was a teen. He spent months trying to find her, to no avail.

He became interested in travelling and used a chunk of his family's money to visit many places. It is assumed that a part of him was still hoping to find his sister.

He was put in the programme ('killing game') after he was brought to our attention by Shirogane Tsumugi, another participant, and at her request.'

Akamatsu's eyes widened in shock. She didn't get to process the information she had just received, interrupted by a rumbling sound between her.

'Whoopsie!' Ouma exclaimed before she turned around.

About two feet away from the door that led to the door, there was another door she hadn't noticed until then. It only revealed itself to her once Ouma moved a shelf that had been poorly covering it

The door was…different. It was metal, and had a bizarre lock, similar to the ID readers that were on every door in the dorms.

Could it be…?

'Funny, isn't it?' Ouma mused, glancing up at her. 'I wonder what's inside!'

Akamatsu knew. She knew that he also did. It must have been where the mindermind's lair was. The ID reader…

Unthinking, she took out her student ID and pressed it to the reader. Ouma's face went pale, but he didn't take his eyes off the reader, holding his breath.

It flashed red. The door didn't open. Akamatsu's ID had been rejected. The both of them exhaled with relief.

'I guess you're clean, Akamatsu-chan!' he said. 'I guess it's my turn, huh?' he added, taking out his ID.

'Hold on. Before you do that, show me if it's your ID,' Akamatsu requested, giving him a smirk. He grinned back and turned on his ID.

'Woooow, Akamatsu-chan. I thought you trusted me. So that was a lie, huh?' he said, pretending to be hurt. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

'You only have yourself to blame!' Akamatsu laughed, ruffling his hair. 'You've stolen my ID before and I didn't even notice at first!'

Ouma rolled his eyes and showed her the screen. It was undeniably his. He then quickly pressed it against the ID reader.

…

Red. Denied.

'How sad. Guess I'm not the mastermind,' he sang, looking into her eyes.

'That's actually very good to know. I will need you, Ouma-kun. But first, I think we should tell Tenko-san and Hoshi-kun about this door, since they're in the infirmary. They've investigated this room, but I'm not sure if they checked the door, since neither of them mentioned it. We should also try to find Iruma-san and Shirogane-san, but I have no idea where they are.'

'Yay! Let's talk to Hoshi-chan!' he grabbed her wrist and led her outside. Both of them had almost forgotten about the files.

In the hall, they ran into Hoshi and Tenko, who had just left the infirmary. Tenko's eyes were still red, but she wasn't crying anymore.

'Kaede-san, what happened? Your face is so intense!' she asked with a concerned expression.

'You did investigate the archive, right?' Akamatsu asked.

'Yes, Tenko looked into Yumeno-san's and Angie-san's files and she felt so overwhelmed that she couldn't read any more,' she admitted, nodding. 'Hoshi-san suggested investigating the infirmary to give Tenko the ability to say goodbye to them and Harukawa-san one last time.'

'I read a few files myself, but I didn't investigate anything else in the room. I figured that you would be more interested in the archive, Akamatsu, because it was something you asked Monokuma about.'

'Akamatsu-chan did?' Ouma perked up. His catlike eyes sparkled.

'Oh, yes! One time Kaede-san asked Monokuma if he prepared files for our fallen friends, too. Tenko remembered that when she walked into the archive. She wishes we had more time to read everything,' Tenko recalled, nodding her head.

'Did you find something, Akamatsu?' Hoshi asked, even though the person he was looking at was Ouma.

'I think we found the mastermind's lair,' Akamatsu confessed quickly. 'Or rather the door that leads there. There's an ID reader on it…'

'Understood. Chabashira, let's check that door,' Hoshi said, heading towards the archive. Tenko followed him, but first she squeezed Akamatsu's hand gently.

'We'll look for Iruma-san and Shirogane-san,' Akamatsu told her. 'We can do this!' she whispered, squeezing Tenko's hand back.

'I'm not looking for anybody, Akamatsu-chan. I wanna keep reading the files,' Ouma whined, pouting. 'It's always good to have dirt on others, nishishi…'

'I guess you can go do that. And keep an eye on Hoshi-kun,' Akamatsu remarked, heading upstairs.

As soon as she arrived on the first floor, a loud noise played through the speakers. Akamatsu's heart stopped.

'Hey, you bastards! Investigation over! Gather in front of the elevator and let's get this over with! You better be ready!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait to read theories. That's gonna be fun.
> 
> Edit: Also I have to say writing this was an emotional journey for me. It feels like I'm wrapping up a chapter of my lie I spent away from home. Now both I and the characters have to pack our bags, make sure we didn't leave anything behind, and get on the train back. Some things will be lost. Some things I can't change no matter how much I wish I could.
> 
> Before we get on the train - the last trial - I must thank you all for spending this time with me. The ending may surprise you. It may confuse you, or upset you. It's deeply personal to me as a writer and person, I'm afraid. But hey, maybe you'll like it?


	53. Chapter 6: Trial 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy chapter number 53! Will there be some........reveals?

With a pit in her stomach and a sinking feeling in her chest, Akamatsu headed towards the elevator. She was the first one there. Soon, Ouma, Hoshi and Tenko joined her. Iruma and Shirogane were dead last, arriving just as the elevator door opened to let them inside.

The atmosphere was tense. Significantly more than ever before. Distrustful glances shot around the elevator, particularly between Iruma and Shirogane. Ouma crossed his arms behind his head, wearing a smug smile. Tenko couldn't stop sniffling. Hoshi's emotions were, as they had often been in the past, hard to read. Akamatsu herself, meanwhile, closed her eyes with a pained expression.

Quite frankly, she was tempted to punch the nearest wall. Despite the fact that the trial was her idea, she was starting to regret it. She didn't have nearly enough information to solve all the mysteries, at least that surely was what it felt like. The thought that she was going to have to deduce which of her friends was actually behind this cruel game.

Which of them was the person who got Gonta and Amami killed? Hell, that person got everyone killed, really. If not for them, the killing game never would have happened. The victims would still be alive, and they would all be good friends. At least, that's what she wanted to believe.

If only she could figure out the signifigance of the Battle Royale club and its president. She felt like that was the key to solving the mystery. If only Amami had been more specific...or if she could remember who seemed to hate him while he was still alive. Was he really destined to die? She couldn't just accept that idea. Nobody had to die! Especially not him. Especially not so soon.

The faces of the deceased flashed in front of her eyes. A twinge of guilt poked her in the ribs when she realised that she never really got to know a lot of those people. Gonta died so soon, for example... She remembered the time they cut his hair, and when he helped carry Saihara to his bedroom. Otherwise, she never got to get to know him well at all. Never got to play the piano for him or Amami.

The thought of Saihara reminded her of something else. Iruma's confession. According to her, Saihara's incident really was just accidental – bad timing, bad place. In his plan to investigate in peace while everybody was asleep, he forgot to account for Iruma's late-night sessions in the warehouse. Understandably so. The participants didn't know each other well enough back then.

Or, did he actually suspect Iruma and snoop around that area on purpose? If so, he must have known that she was the person who attacked him. Which didn't seem likely – his confusion upon waking up seemed genuine, as did his assertion that he had no idea what happened. If he seemed like a good actor, she'd question it, but it was hard to imagine that he would cover for Iruma.

Tenko's snifflling snapped her out of that thought. Despite everything, she was still mourning, and she had every reason to. She was going to leave the bodies of her first crush, the person she almost killed out of jealousy, and the person who tried to help her move forward, behind in this cursed school. Akamatsu couldn't relate to those exact feelings – but she, too, had to say goodbye to many people she cared about.

And regardless of the results of the trial, she was going to have to leave yet another dear friend behind. Whether it was right to think of the mastermind as the friend – she couldn't decide.

The elevator stopped. Akamatsu felt a stomachache approaching, but she elected to ignore it, quickly stepping out into the courtroom.

As always, it was decorated, but this time was significantly more tasteless than ever before.

Half of the courtroom was painted blue, and the other was painted a somewhat pinking shade of purple. There seemed to be glitter sprinkled all over the walls. The light was too bright for comfort. Akamatsu groaned, looking around the room for Monokuma.

'Hey, you bastards! Are you ready for the final trial?' his voice called out as he materialised right beside her feet.

'Why is the courtroom painted like that?' Akamatsu asked, knitting her eyebrows. It was a distraction, she knew, but it was going to bother her otherwise.

'Isn't it obvious? It's a tribute to your colour scheme, everyone. I noticed it yesterday when you were all standing in front of me.' Monokuma raised his paws emphatically. 'Team blue is Shirogane-san, Chabashira-san, and Hoshi-kun. Team pinkish-purple is Ouma-kun, Iruma-san, and Akamatsu-san.'

'Lame! Why do we get such a stupid team name,' Ouma complained, sticking his tongue out. 'Besides, I don't wanna be on a team with Iruma-chan! Can she switch with Hoshi-chan?'

'Shut your mouth, shithead! The teams are bullshit anyway!' Iruma growled. 'What the fuck would they even mean?'

'Aw, boo. I thought that you guys would enjoy that small reference from me... But you're right. The teams are completely arbitrary and useless! The real enemy of yours? Is the mastermind! One of you bastards!'

'I can't believe this is the final confrontation... I feel like I'm going to faint from the pressure...' Shirogane muttered, her legs shaking.

'Hang in there, Shirogane-san!' Tenko comforted her, stroking her shoulder. Shirogane smiled at her gratefully, nodding her head, but she still seemed as nervous as before.

Hoshi glanced at Ouma, who was watching the exchange between the women with a blank expression. His own expression was that of longing and certain tenderness. Akamatsu couldn't help but hope, for Hoshi's sake, that both of them would make it out of the school safely. She believed that it had to happen, but who knew what kind of traps the mastermind had laid out for them?

'Okay, enough chit-chat,' Monokuma said suddenly, approaching his usual spot. 'Whenever you bastards are ready, take your seats, and let's get this show on the road!'

Akamatsu took her seat for the last time. For the last time, she looked around the courtroom in preparation for the trial. The death portraits of her fallen friends looked at her, giving her strength and hope. Her eyes stopped on Amami's for a bit longer. She bit her bottom lip until it bled. She was going to carry out the second half of his will. At long last.

_I hope you're watching over me right now, everyone! I need your strength!_

TRUTH BULLETS:

>The list  
A list titled 'Battle Royale Club', listing the names of the participants of the killing game, except for Kiibo and Amami Rantarou, who are listed under 'extra'.

>Inventory documentation  
All expenses made for the sake of the killing game have been documented. Notably, there is no mention of clothes.

>Amami's note  
Amami Rantarou's last will, addressed at Akamatsu Kaede. In it, he predicts his own death and warns about the 'club president,' who is presumably the person he suspects of planning to kill him. In the post scriptum, he also mentions 'Battle Royale'.

>Monokuma design notes  
They are signed by Iruma, the designer.

>Iruma's testimony  
Iruma Miu confessed that she was the person behind Saihara Shuuichi's incident. According to her, she noticed that he was investigating around the warehouse and decided to hit him out of fear. She then dragged his unconscious body to the nearest room.

>Iruma's file  
Amongst other things, the file confirms Iruma's coma-induced personality change and suddenly awakened creativity. It also reveals her to be the creator of Monokuma and Kiibo – very intelligent robot AI, her greatest creation.

>Amami's file  
The file confirms that Amami is, in fact, talentless, unlike the other participants. It also notes that he was included in the programme at the request of Shirogane Tsumugi.

>The door  
There is a door in the archive, leading (presumably) to the mastermind's lair. The student ID reader rejected both Akamatsu and Ouma when they tried to access the room.

TRIAL: START

MONOKUMA: Welcome to the final trial, you bastards! Since you're not just investigating a murder, the rules are slightly different from a regular trial, so pay attention! I take no responsibility if you mishear me!

MONOKUMA: Your objective is to find the mastermind amongst yourselves! The number of people involved, as well as their identities, is up to you to uncover! I'm not gonna answer any questions! If you end up accusing the wrong person, all of you will be punished.

MONOKUMA: Moreover, on top of figuring out who the mastermind of this killing game might be, you have to figure out other secrets of the game, to the best of your ability!

MONOKUMA: Why are you here? Where even are you, really? I don't know, you tell me! I know you bastards are curious about all of that, so get to work! There's no punishment for wrong answers…yet.

MONOKUMA: Once you figure all of that out…you maybe able to leave the school. Maybe. That will be your final confrontation, which I have nothing to do with!

MONOKUMA: You can start with whatever topic you want, but remember that I won't let you stay here debating all day, so choose your fights wisely. If I'm not satisfied with your answers…upupu…

MONOKUMA: Let the final trial begin!

SHIROGANE: Ooooh… _(hugging herself)_ I'm so not ready for this final confrontation…

CHABASHIRA: This is it, then… Tenko feels like she didn't help enough during the investigation this time… She apologises for letting her emotions overwhelm her.

HOSHI: Don't sweat it, Chabashira. We did confirm a few things while we were in the infirmary. It's not bad at all.

OUMA: What did you find there? I was too busy looking at important stuff and not talking to dead bodies, nishishi!

IRUMA: Did y'all take them out? Did ya do anythin' to-

HOSHI: Let me stop you there… I don't know how important these things are in the long run, but we did confirm that everyone we thought was dead really was dead. All ten of them…were in the infirmary. Something tells me that if not for that somebody would suggest that the mastermind faked their death.

SHIROGANE: …You saw right through me, Hoshi-kun. That would be such a good twist, you know? Really hard to pull off, I imagine, but so very satisfying! I was kind of hoping for something like that… Maybe using one's twin as a body double…

HOSHI: I'm sure. But it's out of the question. Everything adds up. In other words, the mastermind is definitely someone that we know is alive. One of us six.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko confirm that Hoshi-san is telling the truth. Even poor Kiibo-san had his place in the infirmary.

IRUMA: ... _(sniffling)_

SHIROGANE: Not as complicated as the faked death twist, but I'm still so tense… Wonder what other twists await us…

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, could you focus on reality for once? Nobody here has a secret twin body double. Especially not me.

SHIROGANE: ...That sounded like a lie…

OUMA: Me, lying? Psh, don't you know I hate lies?

IRUMA: Goddammit, shut up about twins!

AKAMATSU: Back to the infirmary and the bodies, uh… That was an important piece of information to have. It saves us some time to discuss other things. Actually, not to be pushy, um…

OUMA: Ooh, Akamatsu-chan is putting on her bossy boots! Let's hear it!

IRUMA: Shut up, clown. Bakamatsu, do yer thing. We might as well move this shitty trial along.

AKAMATSU: Okay, well. Some time ago, I sat down and wrote a list of questions I had about the killing game. We could use that list to help us determine what we still need to figure out. During the investigation, I got answers to some of my questions, so that's going to help, too!

OUMA: Ooooh, Akamatsu-chan, wanna compare notes? I have some questions of my own, y'know!

IRUMA: Don't let the twink speak! I've had enough of listening to this shithead's voice yesterday, for fuck's sake.

HOSHI: I get it, Iruma, but he may have something important to say.

OUMA: Aww, Hoshi-chan!

IRUMA: Has he EVER had anything important to say?

HOSHI: ...That said, I think Akamatsu should go first, since she said that she's already answered some of her questions, and I trust her to be more organised than Ouma.

IRUMA: Gyahaha, even your friend with benefits wants you to shut up!

HOSHI: Friend with benefits, eh?

OUMA: I don't disagree, you know! I'll listen to what Akamatsu-chan has to say. I'd rather listen to her than to Iruma-chan, that's for sure! Her voice is about as pleasant as a bird screeching into my ear.

IRUMA: As if you don't sound like a fuckin' punctured helium balloon, clown car!

SHIROGANE: I can't tell if these two are friends or if they hate each other…

HOSHI: Don't think too hard about it.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko also agrees that we should let Kaede-san speak first! Please, share your questions with us. Tenko is sure we can answer them all.

AKAMATSU: Thanks… So, my questions are divided into a few categories. First, one of the things that I got the answer to. Shirogane-san can confirm that I was interested in the swimsuits we received.

IRUMA: Swimsuits? Bakamatsu, if ya wanted to see me in my swimsuit, you shoulda just said so.

AKAMATSU: I'll think about it, but that's not what I was talking about! Don't just go assuming stuff, jeez.

SHIROGANE: Oh, right, I remember! You mentioned those swimsuits a few days ago! I don't remember…what we ended up talking about exactly… Sorry.

AKAMATSU: It's okay. Um. You guys remember when we got access to the swimming pool, right? There were the changing rooms. Inside, there were lockers. In those lockers were swimsuits for everyone.

SHIROGANE: Right! And we were wondering how they got there!

IRUMA: What do ya mean, how? Someone put them in there, nah? They didn't just magically appear there. Probably.

HOSHI: I think what they mean is, who bought them and put them there. That is kind of interesting, but I assume the answer is the mastermind.

AKAMATSU: It…doesn't seem to be, actually.

SHIROGANE: O-oh? Dun dun dun…

CHABASHIRA: Tenko has a bad feeling about this! Whether it's the mastermind's doing or not!

AKAMATSU: At first I thought that they might have been bought for us by the mastermind, just like you guys. They're pretty personalised, so they couldn't have just been regular school swimsuits, but the files prove that the mastermind knows a lot about us, so it's not so weird that they would be able to get us the perfect swimsuit…

CHABASHIRA: It would be creepy to buy us swimsuits like this! Tenko never consented to that! As far as she knows…

AKAMATSU: But something I discovered makes that theory impossible, anyway! I found documentation on the fourth floor. It detailed everything that was bought for the sake of the killing game. The only thing that wasn't there were our clothes. That means we must have brought them here ourselves.

SHIROGANE: H-huh… But, why would we do that? That makes no sense! Unless we wanted to be in the killing game. Now that would be a twist!

IRUMA: Nah, you dumb bitch! They probably tricked us into thinking we were goin' somewhere else. Or they stole our shit from us and we don't remember it. Use yer brain for once!

SHIROGANE: O-oh! You're right, mhm… That's definitely more likely.

AKAMATSU: ...Yeah, probably…

CHABASHIRA: Tenko wishes that we could remember what happened… But she can't imagine that we would want to come here knowing we would be participating in such a cruel game. We were definitely tricked somehow! Kaede-san, do you have any ideas?

AKAMATSU: Nothing solid yet, no…

OUMA: Boo. I guess it wasn't a waste of time, though. Good job on the document, Akamatsu-chan! Maybe we'll have to come back to that later!

HOSHI: For now, we just have to assume that the clothes were brought into the school by us, or at least along with us. How and why they ended up here is something to figure out later. Akamatsu, what else?

AKAMATSU: Actually, it's sort of connected to the previous thing. It's about the school itself.

IRUMA: Oh, ya mean whether it's a real school or not? It's obviously not, ya fucknut. Next question.

AKAMATSU: H-huh.

SHIROGANE: _(muttering under her breath)_ That's a lot of confidence… Maybe too much confidence, all things considered… Hmm…

IRUMA: Ain't that obvious to y'all? No normal school looks like this, what the hell!

HOSHI: I don't disagree with you. I've always thought that there was something weird about this place. You know, other than the killing game thing.

OUMA: No way! You mean to tell me normal schools don't have casinos in the basement? That's news to me!

IRUMA: It's not just about the casino, numbskull. The fuckin' warehouse. The dark room. Half of the rooms in this school feel like they're in the completely wrong places. I didn't give a shit about that, but I figured nobody thought this was a real school. You lot really ain't bright, huh?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko has been wondering about that, too!

SHIROGANE: But, that begs the question… What…is this place?

AKAMATSU: I'm not sure if that's the only question I would ask. Someone turned this building into a fake school? Or did they just…build a school for the sake of this killing game? That must have cost a ton of money and work! Someone…was really dedicated to organising this game…

SHIROGANE: Wait, I have an idea!

IRUMA: Oh, fuck no. We're not doin' this again.

SHIROGANE: What if…this not only isn't a real school…but not a real place at all?

IRUMA: Wha? Ya talkin' about ghosts again? We're not in hell, shithead!

SHIROGANE: Ah, no. What I meant was that this might be virtual reality. You know, a programme…sounds like it could be a computer program, right?

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, can you do me a favour? Pinch your arm, pretty please.

SHIROGANE: O-okay… _(pinching her arm)_ Ouch!

OUMA: We're not in a simulation. Problem solved!

IRUMA: Damn, that was quick. What a useless fuckin' theory. The things I felt in this place were real for sure. This shitty school is not a hallucination or anything like that.

CHABASHIRA: Now that this has been confirmed, Tenko would also want to know where exactly this school is. If someone built an entire school for the sake of something as heinous as this game...they must have done it in secret, right? If so…that would mean we are probably somewhere hidden! In the middle of nowhere!

OUMA: Unless they did this totally legally. Or got a realllllly good cover from someone. Nishishi!

SHIROGANE: H-huh? Who would…have this kind of power?

OUMA: Dunno. The government, probably. Or someone like me! Nishishi.

SHIROGANE: O-Ouma-kun… We already know that you're not a real supreme leader, so…I have a hard time believing that you would be powerful enough to pull this off…unless you have something to…confess?!

OUMA: Aw, I guess you're right, Akamatsu-chan did blow that cover. Well, I ran that risk when I gave her the file. Buuuut, aren't you missing the forest for the trees? You're so simple-minded sometimes, Shirogane-chan.

SHIROGANE: ...How so?

OUMA: While DICE isn't that big or anything…it's still a criminal organisation, and everyone in it is super-duper loyal to me. Even the dingus who made the file couldn't track everything we were involved in, which is super flattering. Is it really so far fetched that we could run this thing?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko would definitely believe that, if not for one detail! She believes it because the file said it, not you!

OUMA: The no killing rule, right? I could have changed my mind on that, you know? Maybe I snapped and did a 180! Maybe I decided that murder is good, after all. Or maybe all of you are yourself murderers and I wanted to gather you here and punish you? Nishishi!

HOSHI: _(sighing)_

SHIROGANE: Mnnn… That sounds twisted enough to be believable…

HOSHI: No, it doesn't. It sounds like a story somebody would write, not something that happens in real life.

OUMA: Killing games usually don't happen to people, either! But, you may be right, beloved Hoshi-chan… I may have just been joking!

HOSHI: Ouma, you can stop. Everybody has doubted you so much in the past, I don't think we have it in us to doubt you again. I know I don't.

AKAMATSU: I don't either. I know it's not you. That still leaves the question of who could have had such convenient connections.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko thinks that, actually…anybody here could have achieved such connections…

AKAMATSU: What do you mean?

CHABASHIRA: All of us have talents that brought us attention from all sorts of people, correct? Including prestigious schools, and sponsors… Anybody here could have used their influence to organise this game. Though, Tenko will be the first to say that she doesn't think anybody would! Even awful, awful Ouma-san!

OUMA: You flatter me, Chabashira-chan. After what you said about me in the previous trial, I never expected you to give me the benefit of the doubt!

CHABASHIRA: ...Tenko...was wrong about many things. She still doesn't like your attitude, Ouma-san, but that doesn't mean she cannot be fair in her judgement!

OUMA: Uh-huh. I'll take it. No hard feelings, Chabashira-chan! As far as I can tell, you're not the enemy. Neither you nor Hoshi-chan.

AKAMATSU: Ah, then…they did it…

SHIROGANE: I don't mean to point fingers, b-but…I think that there is a person whose involvement in the game, as well as them having many sponsors is p-pretty much confirmed… S-so…maybe we should direct our accusations towards that person…

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, stepping in with some evidence? Nishishi, now that's unexpected! Unless it's just another crazy theory!

CHABASHIRA: Huh?! Who might that be? What connection is that? Shirogane-san, what do you know?

SHIROGANE: Oh, I don't want to be the one to say it, it's so scary… Akamatsu-san, you know what I'm talking about, right? C-could you…?

AKAMATSU: Yeah, I do… Fine, I might as well be the one if you don't want to take credit…

SHIROGANE: Not at all! I-I might get killed!

AKAMATSU: And…I wouldn't…?

SHIROGANE: Y-you're much braver than me, Akamatsu-san, you can take it…

CHABASHIRA: Who is it about, then? Is it definite proof of someone's guilt? Tenko…didn't stumble upon anything like that in her investigation, so she has no idea who this is about…

AKAMATSU: ...

She hesitated, looking around the room, glancing at the tense faces. It wasn't like she was about to make a damning statement. Not yet. It was necessary to move the trial in that direction, and she was aware of that. But having to say it made her heart want to leap out of her chest. What if…it was right? Would she be able to handle that conclusion? Shirogane seemed to believe it was true, at least…

AKAMATSU: Shirogane-san…is talking about Iruma-san. That's the truth.

IRUMA: Wha-?! What the fuck, you bitch! What are ya implyin' about this gorgeous girl genius?! Explain it yourself, cowardly piece of shit!

HOSHI: Iruma… I did assume she had sponsors, but what does that have to do with the killing game? It's not necessarily damning.

AKAMATSU: Not by itself, no, but we discovered something else as well. A piece of information that has something to do with the next thing on my list, Monokuma…

IRUMA: ...huh…

CHABASHIRA: What…is it? What's the information exactly?

SHIROGANE: Tell them, Akamatsu-san! Tell them everything! Please!

HOSHI: Shirogane, are you okay? You're shaking. You need to calm down.

SHIROGANE: I'm just so…ready for this confrontation! The clash between good and evil, at last!

OUMA: Shirogane-chan's completely lost it! Well, maybe she never had it to begin with.

CHABASHIRA: Everyone, please! Be silent or Tenko will make you silent! Let Kaede-san speak and tell us the truth!

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san, is there anything you want to say before I continue?

IRUMA: Nah… I wanna know what kinda shit this bitch made up about me before I can refute it. Go on, Bakamatsu, hit me with your best shot.

AKAMATSU: First, I want to ask if you've read your own file.

IRUMA: Huh? Nah. Why the fuck would I read some shit they made up about me? Iruma Miu, golden girl genius, knows herself better than anybody!

OUMA: We're supposed to believe a narcissist like you didn't jump at an opportunity to read about yourself? Pshhh.

IRUMA: Fuck off, clown car.

OUMA: She's telling the truth, by the way. At least about that. As you know, I'm a pretty good lie detector, so, that's where we're at.

AKAMATSU: Thanks. Well, if you haven't read your file, you wouldn't know that you're…the creator of Monokuma?

IRUMA: ...

CHABASHIRA: Eeeehhhh?

SHIROGANE: See? That's the truth! I told you! Iruma-san is the person who designed Monokuma!

MONOKUMA: ...Mom?

IRUMA: Nghhhh…

HOSHI: I can't say I expected that. Iruma…?

CHABASHIRA: Iruma-san looks like she wants to say something! Iruma-san, what is it? Please, explain that to Tenko!

IRUMA: _(muttering)_ So it's…in the file as well… Ha…

AKAMATSU: Huh? 'As well'? That means you've seen the-

IRUMA: _(dejectedly)_ The design notes and whatever the shit? Yeah, I saw them…but I had no fuckin' clue what to make of them. I figured it's someone's shitty joke and didn't make much of it. But now you're telling me that it's in my file as well… What the hell!

OUMA: Oh, you mean the things in the principal's office! Yup, that sure is suspicious of you, Iruma-chan.

MONOKUMA: Iruma-san, I had no idea! ...no idea that my creator is such a hoe, that is. You made me very angry when you escaped, and now I find this out…

HOSHI: ...what?

MONOKUMA: I never cared what was in those files. The mastermind knows what's in them, obviously, but I don't, so this is news to me! Upupu!

IRUMA: Listen…

SHIROGANE: She's going to try and turn it around!

AKAMATSU: Let's let her speak.

IRUMA: When I saw Monokuma, I didn't recognise him as my own creation. I swear! I don't remember making this piece of shit bear so it's either a lie or...or something I did during the time that was wiped from my memory… That's the fuckin' truth! Believe me!

SHIROGANE: That's a convincing performance, b-but…

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san. Do you want to know what else was in your file? I think it's important that I tell you. Do you have any idea?

IRUMA: I'm totally blanking. What, did I create everything else in this goddamn school and just forget?

AKAMATSU: No… You created Kiibo-kun.

IRUMA: ...Huh?

CHABASHIRA: Is that…true? Kiibo-san is Iruma-san's creation? How is that possible?

IRUMA: Bakamatsu, if you're tryin' to be funny… I will kill you. You know that, right? Don't…fuckin' joke with me… Not about that.

AKAMATSU: It's not a joke, I promise! The file states that your biggest invention yet was a type of AI that was used to create Monokuma and Kiibo-kun.

MONOKUMA: ...

HOSHI: That's…unexpected.

OUMA: Wait, that makes Kiiboy Monokuma's bastard brother-cousin-something! I never thought of it this way before! He never knew, though. Poor bastard.

IRUMA: Bakamatsu, you promise you're not shitting me? You swear?

AKAMATSU: I promise. Shirogane-san can confirm what's in the file, and Ouma-kun probably can too.

OUMA: Yup, I've read that file! Kiiboy has the same sort of brain as Monokuma.

HOSHI: I wonder… Does that mean that we can confirm that Monokuma isn't being controlled by anybody, and wasn't throughout the game?

SHIROGANE: I-I don't think that he could be controlled by anybody now, since we're all here and can't really do that without being caught… B-but if he is the same type of AI as Kiibo…

CHABASHIRA: Kiibo-san definitely wasn't controlled by anybody! He learned through interacting with us, correct? Then, Monokuma should be similar.

OUMA: Good job, Iruma-chan! That's impressive!

That was when Iruma fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. She hid her face in her hands and continued to weep, tears streaming down her face.

The others watched her in silence, most of them wearing concerned yet somewhat embarrassed expressions. They were flustered at the sight of the usually confident and abrasive Iruma crying like a child.

There was only one person who didn't seem convinced by that display of spontaneous emotion.

SHIROGANE: Iruma-san, p-please calm down… Crying won't answer our questions!

HOSHI: Iruma…you really don't remember anything, do you?

IRUMA: _(getting up from her knees, nodding her head)_ Yeah, man. I have no fuckin' clue what's going on there. I buy that I created Monokuma, I totally have the brain power to do that. But I don't run this shitty game! Someone…must have stolen the design from me, or something.

SHIROGANE: That sounds really convenient for you…

IRUMA: Convenient? Are you shitting me? It's the least fuckin' convenient thing that's ever happened to me!

AKAMATSU: Hmm…

HOSHI: Akamatsu, what are you thinking about?

AKAMATSU: I'm thinking about a lot of things right now… Iruma-san's theory, if she's telling the truth, might be correct, but another possibility is that she was commissioned to make Monokuma by somebody else who didn't tell her what the purpose was. The file doesn't say anything about that, so we have no choice but to speculate.

SHIROGANE: I-I guess… But what if she's not telling the truth? Isn't that the most simple and obvious answer?

IRUMA: Why the fuck are you so hung up on me being the mastermind, you bitch? Don't ya remember that I tricked the mastermind just the other day?

SHIROGANE: I do remember! I also remember you escaping the execution. That has never happened before. It seemed like you were prepared for it… As if it was staged…

IRUMA: Wh-wha?!

HOSHI: It's true that it's never happened before, but Iruma wasn't voted the culprit, right? So the odd thing here is that Monokuma was trying to execute her.

SHIROGANE: Wh-what if she lied about not being the culprit? We…we had no proof of that.

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, aren't you forgetting that she has a witness? I know that she didn't kill Kiiboy, because we were together the whole time. Iruma-chan may be suspicious for other reasons, but I pinky promise that's not one.

SHIROGANE: I see… A liar covering for a traitor…

OUMA: My reputation will never stop following me, huh? My bad! In hindsight, maybe it was a stupid idea to brand myself a liar, but hey. What's done is done. All I can tell you is I'm not lying this time. Pinky promise!

IRUMA: Hey…thanks for that.

OUMA: No prob, Iruma-chan. I don't think Shirogane-chan will believe me, though. You should have chosen a better ally than me!

IRUMA: Nah, you're good.

AKAMATSU: Hey, since we're bringing up old trials…I have to talk about another one. I think it holds the key to solving this mystery. In fact, I think I already know…so listen to me!

CHABASHIRA: Which trial do you want to discuss, Kaede-san? It's not…Yumeno-san's, is it? Or Harukawa-san's?

AKAMATSU: No. It's the very first one. The trial over the death of Gokuhara Gonta, where Amami Rantarou was found to be the culprit.

SHIROGANE: Huh? Going this far back? I-I suppose that the case was rather…mysterious…

AKAMATSU: It was. And I need your help to solve the parts of it that I might not remember or understand, everyone!

CHABASHIRA: Tenko will do her best to help you remember!

OUMA: Hey, I was a witness in that case, too. If you need me to refresh my memory, let me know.

HOSHI: Tell us what's on your mind, Akamatsu. I think you might be onto something. I remember feeling like that case was incomplete.

SHIROGANE: W-wait a second, before we do that! I just remembered something that happened before the trial!

AKAMATSU: Are you talking about the incident?

SHIROGANE: Yes… Someone attacked Saihara-kun and made him lose consciousness… And we never found out who it was… But we now know who was capable of preparing something that would have that effect, since they used it on us!

IRUMA: Are ya talkin' about me? Screw that, I'll tell ya what happened there. Yeah, I'm the one who knocked him out. But you're probably wrong about everything else, so I might as well explain it…

OUMA: Good job, Iruma-chan! My life was so much better without gloomy detective-chan walking around!

HOSHI: Why did you do it, Iruma?

SHIROGANE: Yeah, tell us why! Everyone is dying to know!

AKAMATSU: Shirogane-san, calm down…

IRUMA: That might sound shady, but…it was an accident. I didn't have any mist bombs prepared then, you stupid bitch, so obviously that's not what I used. The Chem Lab wasn't even open back then, dumbass!

SHIROGANE: Oh, that's…true…

IRUMA: It's not like I was plannin' to knock him out… He just came to snoop around and I heard him. I freaked out, grabbed something, and hit him with it from behind. I have no goddamn clue why he came, I didn't have the time to ask. And after he woke up, I didn't wanna see him again and talk.

OUMA: That would have been awkward! But, did you really get scared of Saihara-chan of all people?

IRUMA: I was alone at night and I couldn't even tell it was him until after I smacked him. Gimme a fuckin' break, will ya? Anyway, that's the whole story. I dragged him into the nearest room and left him there cuz I didn't wanna deal with that.

SHIROGANE: He was out for quite a long time… YouYou must have hit him hard…

IRUMA: I dunno. It was probably a concussion or something. I didn't mean to hit that hard. I freaked out when he wasn't waking up, believe me… That's all

AKAMATSU: And then you prepared the communication system because you felt bad.

IRUMA: ...Maybe so. Not my proudest moment, but I'm not gonna run away from it anymore. You can't use that against me, ya hear?

SHIROGANE: Eek! Such determination!

OUMA: I think we can leave Iruma-chan's accident alone now. I'm bored of talking about Saihara-chan! I might as well fall asleep!

CHABASHIRA: Please, don't fall asleep now! This is the worst time to lose consciousness, Ouma-san!

OUMA: I think if Iruma-chan doesn't hit me now I will be fine.

HOSHI: Too soon.

OUMA: Is it really? Anyway, I thought that we were going to talk about Amami-chan! That's way more interesting!

IRUMA: Agreed. I miss that hot piece of ass. I was hopin' that after that trial we would-

AKAMATSU: Iruma-san, focus! This is not the time for that!

IRUMA: It's always time for that, Bakamatsu, ya virgin! Let a girl dream!

OUMA: Iruma-chan, I didn't know you had an execution kink! That's a new one!

IRUMA: _(screaming into her hands)_

AKAMATSU: ...Anyway. Have any of you heard of…Battle Royale?

SHIROGANE: ...

HOSHI: It does ring a bell, but I'm not sure…

CHABASHIRA: Oh, oh! Tenko knows that one! At least she thinks so!

AKAMATSU: Huh? Chabashira-chan, you do? What is it?

CHABASHIRA: Battle Royale is a term used in wrestling! Obviously, Tenko is not a wrestler herself, but she has heard of that! The rules of battle royale are that many wrestlers are put into the ring and fight until only one is left standing!

HOSHI: Ah. That does sound familiar. Why do you ask, Akamatsu?

OUMA: I know, I know! It's because of the list.

CHABASHIRA: List…?

AKAMATSU: I found a list in the teachers' room. It was titled 'Battle Royale Club' and our names were on it. Interestingly, Kiibo-kun and Amami-kun weren't on that list, and instead were filed under 'extra'.

HOSHI: Battle Royale Club…? Did we take up wrestling when I wasn't looking?

IRUMA: Doubt that. Maybe it's a reference. Or a codename!

AKAMATSU: That sounds like it could be the case, but I want to point out something related. Remember what Amami-kun said before he died?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko recalls that Amami-san was acting kind of weird before the execution. He seemed almost surprised at the news that he was the culprit… There was also something about Gonta-san's behaviour!

OUMA: Amami-chan said that somebody manipulated Gonta into attacking him, right? Funny how Gonta ended up being the one who died instead!

HOSHI: Right. I remember wondering who it could have been. I can't imagine who would want a guy like Amami gone. It must have been someone Gonta would listen to, but that doesn't seem like a particularly encouraging thought. He was too good, that kid. He would listen to anybody if they were convincing enough.

IRUMA: Ya think that the person who did that is also the mastermind?

AKAMATSU: Probably. In fact, I'm sure of it. Before he died, Amami-kun left me his last will that I couldn't carry out until today. His last will was in his room, where I couldn't go until it opened for us for the sake of the investigation.

SHIROGANE: What…did the note say?

AKAMATSU: It said two things very clearly. Amami-kun worried for his life, and he knew that someone was going to go after him.

HOSHI: With the way you say it, I take it that he didn't name any names.

AKAMATSU: Sadly, no. But he left clues, and I think I may have connected the dots!

OUMA: Yaaaay, Akamatsu-chan! Nice job!

AKAMATSU: Amami-kun said two things that I'm sure are hints. He said that somebody here is someone he knows and they hate him and want him dead! The only thing he said about their identity was that I have to be careful around the 'club president'. That by itself didn't tell me much, but coupled with another thing…

CHABASHIRA: Yes…?

AKAMATSU: The last sentence of the note mentions Battle Royale. So, together with the mention of club president...

OUMA: ...he must have meant the president of the Battle Royale Club, huh? If only we knew who that was, we'd be set!

AKAMATSU: I think I know. I just need to confirm something. Tenko-san, Hoshi-kun, you checked the door, right?

HOSHI: Yeah. Neither of us passed.

OUMA: Can confirm! I watched them!

IRUMA: What fuckin' door?

AKAMATSU: The door to the mastermind's lair. In the archive. It has an ID reader. Ouma-kun and I both tried, but neither of our IDs worked, which means we're both safe, and so are Tenko-san and Hoshi-kun. With that, I know exactly who the mastermind is!

MONOKUMA: Let's hear your reasoning, Akamatsu-san! Let's see if you're right, upupupu!

AKAMATSU: I finally understand. I understand everything! I know who's the person who got Gonta-kun to attack Amami-kun. I know, because they tried the same the same thing on me, and it took me this long to notice that!

HOSHI: Hm?

AKAMATSU: Everyone here…except for one person…always made themselves look more suspicious than they were. They would tell me to be careful around them or repel people in other ways. They would declare themselves guilty of things they didn't do. But that one person…they kept trying to make me doubt my friends. They took me aside and tried to convince me that Saihara-kun was the traitor and faked his coma. And now, they tried to convince me that Iruma-san's execution was staged and she is the culprit behind Kiibo-kun's death.

SHIROGANE: ...

AKAMATSU: And I just remembered something else! All that talk of Battle Royale and wrestling? I finally remembered! That's the book! The book I was desperately trying to remember! The book with the killing game taking place on an island! There's only one person here who could start a club over something like that, and only one person who could have talked Gonta-kun into doubting Amami-kun! It almost worked on me, too, but you failed! Shirogane Tsumugi, you failed!

SHIROGANE: ...

IRUMA: You! You were tryna fuckin' frame me! Say something, you bitch!

OUMA: Aw, that's so disappointing. Shirogane-chan, really?

CHABASHIRA: Shirogane-san…?

HOSHI: ...

AKAMATSU: I can't imagine who could hate Amami-kun more than the person who asked for him to be included in the killing game!

IRUMA: You WHAT?

OUMA: That checks out. Shirogane-chan, got anything to say to that? Go ahead, c'mon!

SHIROGANE: ...

CHABASHIRA: Shirogane-san, why…?

SHIROGANE: Ahaha, I knew I could count on you, Akamatsu-san! You saw right through me, despite my plain exterior, despite everything! It is time…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally arrived at the point where I can stop dancing around who the mastermind is!
> 
> ...or did we?
> 
> Edit: was this rewrite just a ploy to get people to read Battle Royale? Yes, it is very good.
> 
> (2 chapters left)


	54. Chapter 6: Trial 2

Shirogane Tsumugi opened her eyes. There was a bright blue tint to them now that wasn't there before. Her pupils were so small that they were virtually unnoticeable. A pleasant shiver went right down her spine, making her hug herself spasmatically. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her eyes shifted around the room, catching glimpses of everybody's reactions.

She'd been waiting for this moment. She wasn't sure how it was supposed to feel, really, and a few things went differently than expected, but she was not going to let such silly details discourage her. This was her big moment, and that was all that mattered.

Well, to be precise, it wasn't just _her_ moment. The other players were important as well, of course. Even if not everything had gone according to plan, one thing was absolutely perfect, giving her the thrill of satisfaction, filling her with glee and pride.

And that was Akamatsu Kaede, standing in front of her with all her mixed, conflicted emotions making it to the surface and showing through her dark purple eyes – now filled with dread, confusion, fear, disdain, a truly wonderful cocktail! - and in the subtleties of her facial expression – the paleness of her pursed lips, the way her eyebrows arched into a frown. Their eyes met, and Akamatsu shuddered upon noticing the change in Shirogane's eyes. However, she still didn't break eye contact. How remarkable!

Oh, yes. Akamatsu was the person Shirogane knew had to make it into the final fight. Her designated hero. Now, she was going to really show her worth!

HOSHI: Wait, I'm lost. Shirogane is the mastermind? That...doesn't sound right, somehow. Even now, she seems moore overwhelmed than anything. Are you sure, Akamatsu?

SHIROGANE: It doesn't sound right because I'm so plain for a villain, right? You expected your enemy to be someone less...forgettable... I get it, I get it...

OUMA: Honestly, yeah. I'm supposed to believe that boring old Shirogane-chan orchestrated all this? You're not selling me on that! Not at all! Shirogane-chan is just a scaredy cat conspiracy theorist, nishishi.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko hopes that's true! She can't believe that Shirogane-san is responsible for all this, and Amami-san's death on top of it? She won't believe it until she sees proof!

SHIROGANE: Oh dear. Oh my, oh my, oh my. You...really didn't expect this... And you still don't believe it... Is it because I messed up the reveal? Should I have denied it more? It was a mistake to just admit it immediately! Akamatsu-san, can we start over? Let's rewind to when you said 'you, Shirogane Tsumugi'? I want to try something else.

AKAMATSU: ...What?

SHIROGANE: Fine, fine, I'll simply imagine that we went back. _(clears throat, begins cowering)_ M-mastermind? M-me? Plain old me w-who barely has any brains? I-I would be flattered if you weren't accusing me of doing something so...h-horrible...

IRUMA: Are ya fuckin' with us? What the hell is this?! Is this bitch really covering up?!

SHIROGANE: Aha, so now you do believe it's me! It's all about presentation. Duly noted.

OUMA: You're quite the actress, aren't you, Shirogane-chan? You almost got me there! Buuuut, you have nothing to gain here by pretending to be the mastermind, so I'll buy that. And treat you accordingly, obviously!

SHIROGANE: You would know all about pretending to be the bad guy, wouldn't you, Ouma-kun? Although, I'm flattered to know even you didn't see it coming. I suppose your lie detector didn't come in handy at all, Akamatsu-san? That makes your work all the more impressive!

AKAMATSU: So you really aren't denying anything, Shirogane-san... I was hoping that my accusation would be wrong. I didn't want any of us to...to be...

CHABASHIRA: Shirogane-san, why? Why did you...do all this? Tenko saw how scared you were. Was that just fear of being found out...? Tenko can't believe it!

SHIROGANE: Oh, I'm so glad I'm being asked questions! I will answer all the questions you have!

HOSHI: ...You will? Just like that? I thought you'd put up more of a fight.

SHIROGANE: Of course. What's the point of setting up something as big as this game if you're not going to explain it all? First, though, let me get into something more comfortable.

Having said that, Shirogane disappered in a cloud of smoke. Before anybody could react, she was already back – with a change in wardrobe. She saluted the other participants with a grin, an expression that looked foreign and odd on her usually worried, pale face. 

Her new look was also stunning and bright, in direct contrast with her usual appearance. A bright u-cut T-shirt brought attention to her puffed out chest – which she usually concealed by hugging herself or hunching over. She could tell that caught Akamatsu's attention in particular, and she couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.

On top of all that, there was a camo hat on her head, as well as a headset. Her long, wavy hair was now styled into two puffy pigtails. She clapped her hands excitedly before throwing a peace sign and giggling.

SHIROGANE: So, how do you like it? I worked really hard on it!

IRUMA: What the fuck are you supposed to be? Nice tits, though.

SHIROGANE: Man, this is not going as well as I thought! I sometimes wish I could have left your memories intact, but that would do more harm than good. Oh, well. This is a cosplay of a character from the Battle Royale adaptation. The girl from the instructional video. Since I'm going to be explaining things, I thought it would be appropriate! 

IRUMA: Yer just gonna...explain stuff? Not that I'm complainin', but wasn't that something for us to do? I mean, do your thing. Not like I give a shit.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko is confused, too. Shirogane-san...are you our enemy or not, in the end? Tenko still wants to beileve that this is just a role you're playing. Similarly to Ouma-san earlier. Is this...just a character you're playing? Please, tell Tenko it is so...

SHIROGANE: Chabashira-san, I'm moved, I really am! Am I a friend or a foe, huh? I suppose you could say I am a bit of both. At the end of the day, I am still a participant in the killing game, so I'm on your side insofar that I can provide facts you lack. Isn't that right, Monokuma?

MONOKUMA: Err, yes. Shirogane-san is technically just as much of a participant of the killing game as the rest of you are. So if she wants to provide answers to the questions that were posed and help solve the mysteries of the school, she's totally free to. I won't stop her. I'm just a bear.

SHIROGANE: Tee-hee-hee! See, I am your equal! Well, in that respect, at least. In every other respect, we're light years apart. Except for Akamatsu-san, of course. We're equals in a few more ways, but still not all. Ahh, I'm so excited to solve all the mysteries. Are you, guys?! Come on, let me see some enthusiasm! You got this far and you will learn all my secrets, after all!

AKAMATSU: What was that about me?! Stop making it seem like we have some secret connection! It's making me feel really uncomfotable!

SHIROGANE: _(pouting)_ Aw, really? Akamatsu-san, I thought we were partners?

IRUMA: Huh?! Is Bakamatsu the traitor?

AKAMATSU: I'm not! See, that's exactly why you need to stop, Shirogane-san!

SHIROGANE: Sorry, sorry! Very sorry! You got the wrong idea, Iruma-san! Akamatsu-san and I simply promised to let each other know whenever we found anything suspicious. She couldn't have known that I was the suspicious one all along! Anyway, gosh, we really got of track. I was supposed to answer all yout questions, like 'why' or 'how' and I got distracted. Sorry again!

HOSHI: You should probably get to that sooner rather than later.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko agrees! She demands to know the truth! Please, Shirogane-san...

SHIROGANE: In just a minute, I will. I just want to do something first!

OUMA: Don't tell me it's another outfit change! Then again, maybe it'd be easier on the eyes!

SHIROGANE: No, it's not that at all! I actually want to congratulate you! All of you!

OUMA: ...Congratulate? Shirogane-chan, that's not a funny joke.

AKAMATSU: Congratulate us? On what? Don't tell me it's...'congratulations for surviving'...

HOSHI: That's just tasteless enough to be the case, probably. 

SHIROGANE: Congratulations, everyone! I have to say, by the way, while I'm at it, that I'm surprised that some of you made it to the end. No offense, of course! Me, obviously, I'm not enough of a presence to be murdered, but ah… I'm so surprised to see you, Hoshi-kun!

HOSHI: Looking at myself three weeks ago, I can't blame you. He would be surprised to be alive, too…

SHIROGANE: It's so touching, though! You persevered through the killing game with the power of love! You're the last person I would expect to have such a romantic character arc with a happy ending! It is a happy ending, right? Or did Ouma-kun reject you in the end? That would be so sad!

HOSHI: No, he didn't, we're perfectly fine, but also…I wouldn't call it...a character arc…

SHIROGANE: Oh, of course you wouldn't. But I watched it unfold and trust me, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Your big crush on Ouma-kun and the small one on Akamatsu-san. Don't think I didn't notice!

AKAMATSU: ...on me? Um, I never knew about anything like that. Hoshi-kun…?

HOSHI: Maybe it came across like that. Don't worry about it, Akamatsu. You're an amazing wingman. I don't want to make you feel awkward. Or make him jealous.

OUMA: Jealous of Akamatsu-chan? Please, as if I don't know Akamatsu-chan is just about as gay as I am and nothing of that would never ever work.

AKAMATSU: Yeah, well… I'm glad we're not making it awkward…

SHIROGANE: If I didn't know that, I would assume you and Ouma-kun are the end game, honestly! With all your whispering on the side and how you saved his life… ItIt was wonderfully dramatic!

AKAMATSU: I guess I did do that, but it doesn't mean anything. Ouma-kun is just someone I really care about, even though we don't always get along.

OUMA: Pshhh. We totes get along. Nothing better than the company of my beloved Akamatsu-chan and Hoshi-chan.

SHIROGANE: In any case, that was a wonderful romantic arc. I couldn't resist the urge to test it, though.

HOSHI: Which is why you gave us each other's files, knowing full well that we would feel betrayed by what was inside? Shirogane, that's insane.

SHIROGANE: Ahaha, yeah! You exceeded my expectations, though. You didn't even consider killing the other or anything like that. I watched. In a way, it's a shame. There are few things more dramatic than lovers killing each other!

HOSHI: _(blushing, pulling his hat over his eyes)_ Lovers, huh… I don't think I was ready to hear that word applied to myself again. Not that it's wrong or anything but, well...I need a moment.

OUMA: ... _(playing with his hair)_

SHIROGANE: Granted, Hoshi-kun, I expected you to die really early, so even if you and Ouma-kun were the casualties that time instead of Harukawa-san and Momota-kun, I would still be impressed by how far you made it! Four trials in, that's impressive, however I look at it.

HOSHI: Well… My survival is pretty accidental. When Yumeno died, I realised that it could have been me. In a parallel universe, it would have been me. I'm sure of that. But for some reason, that motivated me to keep living,however weird it feels to say. Akamatsu, I already told you that, but your persistence helped a lot, too.

SHIROGANE: Beautiful! So motivational! Too bad for Yumeno-san, but she was too far gone by then, I could tell. She didn't even want anybody to help her. While I'm thinking about her, I'll mention that I also didn't expect Chabashira-san to make it this far - no offence. I assumed that she would have gotten into a fight with Momota-kun and killed him. I suppose Harukawa-san beat her to it, though.

CHABASHIRA: Please don't bring Yumeno-san and Harukawa-san into this! They died because of you, and Tenko does not want to hear about how you gambled with their lives, Shirogane-san!

SHIROGANE: Aha, understandable. Your passion for them is still so fiery! You're so emotional over their lives and deaths! Chabashira-san, I share that passion! Their deaths impacted me so much, you can't even imagine! I swear!

CHABASHIRA: How dare you! They died because of you, Shirogane-san! Tenko doesn't want to hear their names coming out of your mouth anymore!

SHIROGANE: That's exactly why their deaths impacted me so much! But they didn't die just because of me, did they? Yumeno-san chose to die. Harukawa-san chose to kill and die as punishment. They did it all on their own, and it's amazing! Of course, I gave them an environment they were more likely to die or kill in, but are you forgetting that Harukawa-san was an assassin? She killed people without me telling her to! Before you or I knew her! And we both know what Yumeno-san did, right?

CHABASHIRA: Please…stop… Stop talking about them! Let them rest in peace! Tenko knows they weren't perfect people. She knows all that. But Tenko isn't perfect either! She can't judge them, and neither can you, Shirogane-san! So, please…stop...

IRUMA: What the fuck?!

SHIROGANE: Ah, Iruma-san, now that you spoke up, let me congratulate you specifically… You really pulled a fast one on me, didn't you? That's exactly what I hoped to get out of you! It was fantastic! I hate you for fooling me, but I admire you for trying!

IRUMA: Of course you admire me! I'm Iruma fuckin' Miu! The golden girl genius! And I'll never forgive you for trying to screw me over! And for all that other bullshit you're pulling! Fuck off!

SHIROGANE: Ohoho. Yes, yes. I knew you would say something like that. Of course the golden girl would make it to the end, right? Ahaha…haha… Yes, you didn't disappoint. Neither did Ouma-kun!

OUMA: Oh, my turn to be evaluated? Shirogane-chan, I can't wait! I love being judged by reprehensible evil mass murderers! I'm all ears, give me the review, you wretched monster!

SHIROGANE: My, why the insults before I even said anything? Are you this quick to toss away your persona entirely? I'm impressed, Ouma-kun. A part of me thought you would get yourself killed, and you sure came close…but I'm glad to have this confrontation to look forward to!

OUMA: _(covering his ears)_ Did you say something? I can't hear you!

SHIROGANE: _(with a crooked smile)_ Very well. The person I really wanted to talk about was Akamatsu-san! I knew you would make it! I told you, you have the aura of a heroine! You're, without a doubt, the protagonist of this story! I'm so happy that I won that bet!

AKAMATSU: Protagonist? Bet? What are you talking about?! I have no idea what any of that means!

SHIROGANE: Ahaha, Akamatsu-san, I knew you would start asking proper questions eventually! I can always count on you! Isn't it lovely to talk openly for once? I feel so…alive! Aha! It's like I found my own voice after all this time!

IRUMA: What the absolute fuck is going on?! You found your voice and it's super goddamn annoying.

OUMA: Shirogane-chan is having her villain monologue. Obviously. She's finally starting to get into the role properly! I can't afford to pretend to be impressed anymore, though. She's an actual villain, after all, not just playing one!

SHIROGANE: _(pumping her fist)_ Ahahaha, it's true! That's exactly what it is, huh? But, now, now, I don't want this to be just a monologue. Let's have a dialogue, everyone! I want to talk about what I created here, you know? I'm so proud of everything I have achieved here!

AKAMATSU: Shirogane-san…please answer me first.

SHIROGANE: Right, right! Sorry, I got interrupted. I better not let it happen again… Anyway. Akamatsu-san, of course you're the protagonist of this story. I knew this when I first met you. Years ago… You don't remember any of it, of course, but I fell in love with your determination, your morals, your charisma! I knew that it couldn't be anybody else. And I still don't think it could be anybody else.

AKAMATSU: Jeez, what… I'm not anybody special! And I'm not a 'protagonist'! I'm a person! I'm hardly a heroine, I fail like everybody else!

SHIROGANE: Don't you think I've proven you wrong? Not just me, everyone here! Can't you see that? That's somehow even more fitting for your character type, being so oblivious to your own strength! To not see the impact you have!

AKAMATSU: Huh? Impact? Jeez, that's too much… Way too much…

SHIROGANE: You have a way of capturing people's hearts. You're a born leader, more so than anybody else. You influenced everyone here, including me! You led them this far! This trial was your idea! Hoshi-kun, don't you agree?

HOSHI: I did say that I wouldn't be alive if not for Akamatsu insisting on talking to me and encouraging me. I stand by that. But…that still doesn't sound right. She's just a very good person, you know? She's not a heroine. But she doesn't need to be.

AKAMATSU: Hoshi-kun…

HOSHI: It's not like me to get this sappy…

OUMA: It suits you, Hoshi-chan! Now blush! _(giggling)_

HOSHI: _(pulling his hat right over his face)_

CHABASHIRA: Tenko also owes a lot to Kaede-san, but she doesn't like where this is going! Hoshi-san is entirely right! Shirogane-san, what point are you trying to make? It's putting a lot of pressure on Kaede-san!

IRUMA: She lost her marbles, I tell ya! That's what it fuckin' is! That or she wants to have her own romantic arc or whatever the fuck that was called.

SHIROGANE: Me? Well, no comment… Aha, we really didn't start where we should have, did we?… You guys don't get it at all, in the end… I guess it couldn't be helped. I got ahead of myself. Let me think about it real quick…

CHABASHIRA: We will never 'get it'! No matter what you do and how you explain it! Tenko refuses to buy into what you're saying!

SHIROGANE: _(drooling, hugging herself)_ Good, good, oppose me, oppose me with all you've got! Please, that's all I've ever wanted! Ahaha! That's amazing! More, more!

CHABASHIRA: _(frowning)_ Tenko…doesn't feel too good about this…

HOSHI: Ignore her, Chabashira. It's not worth it. She's trying to get a reaction. Don't give her the satisfaction.

CHABASHIRA: Perhaps you're right… Tenko will try to pay it no mind.

SHIROGANE: Ahaha! That wouldn't be anything new! I've been ignored until just now! And all I'm getting is negative attention anyway! Just as a villain should! Hahaha!

OUMA: Hey, hey, Shirogane-chan! Are you going to talk about the bet or not? I don't want to waste time listening to your laughter! I'd rather listen to Iruma-chan's hyena screech!

IRUMA: My fuckin' what?

SHIROGANE: Hmmm…I think I'm going to leave the bet for later, once you guys understand more. It's pretty complicated and I want to build up to it properly. Why don't we use Akamatsu-san's list as a blueprint for what I should explain? That's more organised!

AKAMATSU: I guess I do have unanswered questions. If you really want to just answer them like that, I'm not going to stop you. But I will take everything you say with a grain of salt! I won't let you manipulate me again.

SHIROGANE: Awww. Of course, of course! You have to doubt me now, even though we used to be comrades. I'm still technically a participant, so I want to help you… It's so complicated, but I love it! Our relationship is so interesting, don't you think?

AKAMATSU: I don't find it interesting… I feel sick… For a time, I really thought that we were partners. I should have been more cautious…

SHIROGANE: Akamatsu-san, what are you saying! If you trusted me less, you wouldn't be yourself! That's why I admire you so much! Anyway, moving on. What was the first point, the swimsuits?

HOSHI: Sounds about right. A weird place to start, but I guess we might as well.

SHIROGANE: Oh, I disagree. It's actually a great place to start. You were right in your conclusion that they were your swimsuits. Indeed, you all brought them here…willingly, just like you came into the school willingly.

CHABASHIRA: Wh-what? What do you mean, willingly, Shirogane-san? Were we willing to participate in the killing game…?

IRUMA: Impossible. That's bullshit. I don't believe it! Who the fuck would sign up for this shit? Who?!

SHIROGANE: Well, in broad strokes…? Yes, of course! You helped me design this killing game, after all, so you wanted to take part in it! But we'll get to that later.

IRUMA: What the fuck do you mean, later?! Tell us everything right this goddamn minute!

AKAMATSU: That's right, don't try to distract us from the important questions!

SHIROGANE: L-look, even if I try, I can't explain everything at once. Let me do it in an orderly fashion, please? I promise I will get to e-everything.

IRUMA: Orderly, my ass. Ya just wanna get off over how good your shitty plan was. Count me out. I ain't listenin' to that.

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, you're stuttering again. Are you trying to gain sympathy from us? Pffft. That's never going to work.

SHIROGANE: _(sighing)_ Perhaps. I-I really am just trying my best to help you. As I was saying, you brought your own clothes here. I simply took them away and put them in your rooms and in the lockers so they would be safe. They're all yours, at least brought here by you. I can't tell who bought theirs and who, say, shoplifted them. I don't have much of a fashion sense, so I wouldn't be able to pick out ones you'd like, anyway…

HOSHI: Can we move on from the swimsuits? I think Akamatsu was just using them to make a broader point.

AKAMATSU: That's true. It was just something I noticed that made me wonder how we ended up here…speaking of, where are we?

SHIROGANE: Oh, that's a fun little story. You remember the Battle Royale story now, right, Akamatsu-san? Then you should know where you are…

AKAMATSU: Oh no. Are we, perhaps…on an island?

SHIROGANE: Indeed you are! That was quick. See, I knew you could do it if you put your mind to it. We're on an island, everyone! Ouma-kun and Hoshi-kun guessed that back when I opened the Geography Lab, didn't they?

OUMA: What island, though? I assume nobody else is there or they would have come to save us or something. And you couldn't risk that, could you?

IRUMA: Are we in the middle of fuckin' nowhere?!

SHIROGANE: Ahahaha, don't panic, please! We're on a private island. It's small enough to not be able to hold much except for the school, which is why we decided to hold the killing game inside, unlike just making it a classic battle royale. Unfortunately, that means that even if you broke out of the school, you wouldn't go very far before realising that you're stuck!

AKAMATSU: Wait! There…there is an exit, right? There has to be!

SHIROGANE: Oh, of course! But you can't leave yet anyway, so let's leave it be, okay?

IRUMA: Wait just a goddamn second. Private island? How the fuck can you afford that?

SHIROGANE: Ahahaha, so many questions! Good, that means you're engaged in solving the mysteries, engulfed in the story!

IRUMA: What the fuck are you talking about? I'm in the 'story', stuck with you weirdo!

SHIROGANE: Oh, I wasn't just talking to you.

IRUMA: Who?! Are you just talkin' to yourself, ya insane bitch?!

SHIROGANE: _(looking into the camera)_ The audience, of course. You wouldn't understand.

IRUMA: _(tugging at her own hair, groaning)_ I feel like I'm going insane! If I lose my mind, it will be a huge loss for everybody, and I will blame ya!

AKAMATSU: Wait, I have to make sure. Is there…actually an audience? Or was that a metaphor or something…?

SHIROGANE: Oh, haha, you're asking if somebody's watching you on TV right now? Well…in real time, no, but everything is being recorded. Except, obviously, for that time when Iruma-san turned off the cameras. So, someday, somebody…might see what happened here. I wonder how they'll feel. Of course, somebody will have to edit it properly.

IRUMA: Goddammit.

SHIROGANE: What was I talking about before Iruma-san interrupted me? Ah, yes, the island. It's off the coast of Japan. It would take you a few hours to get to Japan from here, of course. If you had a boat. Without a boat, well… Anyway! It's all mine!

HOSHI: How could you afford all this?

SHIROGANE: Sponsors! Duh.

IRUMA: Hey! You really fuckin' pretended it was my sponsors who funded this shit! You literally tried to dump your shit on me!

SHIROGANE: Oh, we'll get to your sponsors, Iruma-san. For now, let's talk about mine. As a cosplayer, I got many older men admiring my work. It wasn't hard to wrap them around my finger. Admittedly, out of cosplay I am the meek, unremarkable Shirogane Tsumugi you all know…but it's easier to be confident while in cosplay. It's appealing to people, you know? I used to think that people who had sponsors were sellouts, until I got an idea in my head… This killing game is the idea, of course.

IRUMA: You…made your sugar daddies fund this shit? Shirogane, I almost respect you.

HOSHI: ...For that? Iruma, I think you might want to reconsider your standards here. Then again, I probably shouldn't be surprised.

SHIROGANE: Ahaha, of all things to respect me for… But yes, basically! Not sugar daddies, though. Just, you know, sponsors. These guys didn't ask any questions! I told them was going to do a cosplay photoshoot on this island, mind you, and they're probably hoping to see it. And pictures all over the school, obviously. But that's where their knowledge of what was going on more or less ended. That was enough, though. I had a plan, and I had other help, so all I needed from them was the location and the means to get here.

AKAMATSU: That's terrible! All of that is terrible! I can't believe you did all this!

IRUMA: Can't believe it either. Wouldn't take her for such a bad bitch.

SHIROGANE: Not believing me? Already? But the story is so far from over! You can't give up yet!

AKAMATSU: I'm starting to think that…I'm better off not knowing the truth…

CHABASHIRA: Akamatsu-san, don't give up! Tenko knows that it's hard to listen to…but we have to! Even if it's…terrible…

HOSHI: Chabashira, you don't sound like you want to know, yourself.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko…has had enough… Her heart aches…for the fallen, and for us, too.

SHIROGANE: Huh? Hey, what's going on? What's happening to my heroes? Akamatsu-san, you're the protagonist! The heroine! Haven't you spent this entire time seeking the truth? Here it is, and you're running away from it? Pull yourself together!

AKAMATSU: No! I'm not running away! I could never! I wanted to know exactly what was going on and who was behind it! I wanted answers to my questions! I just…wasn't ready for all of them… I may have overestimated myself…

SHIROGANE: Shouldn't you be happy that you made it this far? That you found me out? I'm so…disappointed in you, heroine.

OUMA: Hey. Shirogane-chan. How about you leave Akamatsu-chan alone? You've been talking to her the entire time and that's super unfair. I'm here too, you know! And I'd totally love to hear more truth bombs from you! I hate lies, after all!

SHIROGANE: Do you now? Well, I'm talking to Akamatsu-san because I picked her to be my designated protagonist. I'm her antagonist, you know. You…you're an antihero at the best and an annoying minor antagonist at the worst. Though I admit your schemes were as entertaining as they were irritating.

OUMA: _(perking up)_ So, at least I wasn't boring?

SHIROGANE: Oh, no. I'm sure you'd be a fan favourite, Ouma-kun. Everybody likes a clown, after all! And I'm sure the reveal of your true nature as a circus clown rather than a supreme leader drew the attention of many people, too!

OUMA: _(grinning sarcastically)_ I have to put that on my resume! _(smile dropping)_ Anyway, leave Akamatsu-chan alone. I don't know what you're trying to do to her, but I don't like it. So cut her some slack. She's not the only one who's against you, you know. You saw through your stupid cameras how much she's gone through. Don't you think it's unfair to expect her to be totes fine now?

AKAMATSU: Ouma-kun, you don't have to… I'll be fine…

OUMA: Shush. How many times did you stand up for me, Akamatsu-chan? Let me do something this once, jeez. I'm feeling pretty antihero-ish all of a sudden. Must be the lack of sleep.

HOSHI: You know what? Me too. I don't think I've done enough to oppose you so far, Shirogane. I'm not going to sit back and let you punch at Akamatsu, Chabashira, and Iruma. Enough is enough.

SHIROGANE: Oh, now that's interesting! You two teaming up against me? I'll take that. On your own, Ouma-kun, you're not all that…but the way you two come together to form a dynamic? Yes, that's beautiful!

OUMA: Anyway, now that you're done being a super creepo for a moment, it's my turn to ask questions! I'm not scared of your truth. I don't care about your cosplay sugar daddies, I just want to confirm some stuff.

SHIROGANE: _(sighing)_ Ask away, Ouma-kun. I'm ready to answer everything!

OUMA: Oh, just some simple questions. I'm sure you won't mind answering any of it at all. Here goes: how did you know all that stuff from the files? There was some specific stuff in there, and I can't imagine how you got the access to it.

SHIROGANE: Ah, that. Well, for starters, we were schoolmates, you know? At least most of us were, to be precise. Kiibo-kun was obviously Iruma-san's creation and didn't go to school, and Amami-kun went to an entirely different school. Besides that, I let my network help me fill the holes. It wasn't that hard to find out most of it, really. Some asking around, some eavesdropping. People brag about the weirdest things sometimes.

AKAMATSU: It's still creepy that you looked into our past so thoroughly… All for the sake of that 'programme' of yours. Was it supposed to be blackmail?

SHIROGANE: An incentive. Obviously, I couldn't tell who was going to survive at most points in the game. I had guesses and bets, but I still had to make the files as interesting as possible. I can assure you that everything said in them is true, though, including all the things you don't remember.

OUMA: Speaking of the files, actually, I have another question that's been eating at me for a while. Here goes: did you steal Monokuma from Iruma-chan?

SHIROGANE: Nope! I did not!

IRUMA: Huh? Are ya not done framing me? There's no way in hell I gave Monokuma to you willingly!

SHIROGANE: Isn't there? There must be, since that's the honest truth. Don't you know stealing is wrong?

IRUMA: As if you care! Fuckin' hell, Shirogane, cut the bullshit. Stealing ain't got shit on what you've been doin' here.

OUMA: Iruma-chan, shush. I don't think Shirogane-chan is lying.

IRUMA: You trust that bitch more than me?! Fuckin' asshole, fair weather ally.

OUMA: That's not what I'm saying, dummy! I don't trust Shirogane-chan as far as I can throw her-

IRUMA: You wouldn't even be able to pick her up, let alone throw her, ya scrawny, twinky piece of shit.

OUMA: -buuuuut I don't think she's lying about this. She's just being vague. Which is a strategy that works to make you suspicious, but I can see through it. She's been using it a lot because she likes the suspense. I know how fun that can be, sp I don't blame her for it, though! So, Shirogane-chan…Iruma-chan gave you Monokuma, didn't she?

SHIROGANE: She made him for me! She didn't know that, of course, nor did she know how he was going to be used, but Monokuma was something she made at my request… You could call it a commission.

IRUMA: Y'know what, I buy that. Lotsa people come to me with ideas. Twink overlord is one of em but most of his ideas are total shit.

HOSHI: So Iruma designed Monokuma completely innocently, but you used that to make her seem suspicious and took advantage of her missing memories. Clever, admittedly, but reprehensible.

IRUMA: Bitch. All because I pulled that blackout bullshit on you? Goes to show how shitty your plan was.

SHIROGANE: Oh, I was prepared for you to do something like that. It was a welcome twist, really! I'm surprised that it took you this long to try something, but I guess paranoia got in your way…

IRUMA: Tch…

CHABASHIRA: Tenko is glad that Iruma-san found trust in her heart, even if it took her a while to truly believe in us! Tenko knows that it must have hurt to lose Toujou-san, so she can't blame Iruma-san for not trying anything earlier. It was so brave!

IRUMA: Aikidiot… Chabashira… Yeah. The bullshit with her really fucked me up good, huh? I owe Harukawa for gettin' me outta that slump. I'll never get to pay her back now.

CHABASHIRA: Tenko is sure that she would be proud to see you make it out of here alive, Iruma-san! You and Tenko will both pay her back this way, right?

IRUMA: Yeah, whatever… Don't get me all sentimental and shit.

AKAMATSU: Since we brought up the files, I can't help but wonder about one in particular.

OUMA: Is it maybe…Amami-chan's?

AKAMATSU: Yeah. It is. It explicitly mentions that Amami-kun was put in the killing game at your request. Why did you include that piece of information? It's pretty damning, and what helped me put the pieces of this puzzle together. And, that aside…just why did you want Amami-kun to join this game to begin with? Why did you hate him this much?

HOSHI: Those are good points. Now that I'm thinking about it, between Iruma designing Monokuma and Shirogane asking for Amami to be included, the latter is way more damning.

SHIROGANE: Ahaha, I was waiting for Amami-kun to be brought up! Well, let's see… First of all, I included it in the file because it's true. Secondly, it was safer than you imagine. After all, I knew that he was going to die before the motive would be relevant.

CHABASHIRA: Um, Shirogane-san…that doesn't clear anything up. How did you know he was going to die…?

SHIROGANE: Because I was going to get him killed, of course. But you're wrong to assume that I hated him. He might have sensed my bloodlust, but it was not born out of hatred. You see, Amami-kun and I used to be friends!

HOSHI: ...Huh?

AKAMATSU: Friends? That's…why he recognised you.

SHIROGANE: Yes. Amami-kun was the only friend I ever had as a child. He moved away unexpectedly for a few years so I lost contact with him. But then, he came back! Just in time to be included in the killing game. I'd hate to have it without him.

IRUMA: Aight, I'll bite. Why the fuck did ya drag him into this? ............Wait. Oh fuck. I think I got it.

HOSHI: I'm lost. What's your guess, Iruma?

IRUMA: Listen, based on all this weird shit she has been saying about Bakamatsu and all of us, I'm guessin'...that she included him to give herself a reason to angst. Cuz he's her childhood friend and shit.

CHABASHIRA: That would be terrible! Shirogane-san, please say it's not the reason…!

SHIROGANE: It's very close! That's part of the reason why. But then something happened in the first days of the game. Akamatsu-san started getting along with him really well! A part of me was jealous, as you can imagine, but a part of me was glad that things turned out this way… I hoped that losing a close ally would fill Akamatsu-san with determination to end the game.

AKAMATSU: Amami-kun died because he became friends with me…?

SHIROGANE: He would have died anyway, don't worry! As I said, I wanted to have him here. He really was the only friend I had before I founded the club. I knew I might die in this game, so I wanted to see him before then.

AKAMATSU: What…did you tell Gonta-kun?

SHIROGANE: Oh, you know, nothing special. Just that I'm suspicious of Amami-kun and he's been acting weird around me, or something like that. I might have said that he attacked me. And, of course, I made him promise not to tell a soul and just have a secret confrontation.

AKAMATSU: Did you want Gonta-kun to…kill him?

SHIROGANE: Not necessarily. I wanted to see how things would go, you know? It was a risky play, but it worked. Amami-kun got so worked up that he fainted! You should have seen him, with the knife… I've seen all of the deaths, for the record. Not always in real time, of course, but Gonta-kun's murder…yes,I was there.

AKAMATSU: Ugh…!

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, you really are a weirdo. Do you have a murder fetish?

SHIROGANE: No! I just always, always wanted to be in a killing game! And so did you, everyone! You don't remember, but we planned this game together! That's the truth you were looking for!

IRUMA: Bullshit! You planned this shit yourself! Are ya telling me 'no murder' twink over here wanted to be in a killing game? I have to fuckin' laugh!

OUMA: I can't speak for my past self, maybe he found it morbidly fascinating or something? Who knows! Maybe he wanted to be in a killing game to be able to play a supreme leader? Nishishi.

IRUMA: Not helping yer case, shithead.

AKAMATSU: I'd never want to be in a killing game! And I actually do have proof that my past self didn't either! You provided that proof yourself, Shirogane-san!

SHIROGANE: You mean the CD? Ah, so that's all you got out of it? Just took it at face value? That's disappointing. The recording was cut and edited, you know? Don't tell me you just ignored that!

HOSHI: ...What CD is this about? I don't think I got one.

AKAMATSU: Am I the only one who found a CD with…a recording of my voice?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko doesn't recall getting one but maybe she didn't look hard enough… In any case, Kaede-san, please tell us what you heard!

AKAMATSU: I think it was recorded in a classroom or some other crowded place. It was my voice, talking about working together during a killing game. My past self from the recording said that she would never be in a situation like that, though…

OUMA: Oopsie daisy!

SHIROGANE: Well, that wasn't the whole recording. Luckily, I have more of it!

She snapped her fingers with a wide grin. The speakers began playing a recording of Akamatsu's voice.

_AKAMATSU: If I ended up in a killing game, I would make sure everybody works together and stays alive, what else can I tell you. I bet that it would be doable!_

_OUMA: You bet? That's super naive, Akamatsu-chan. I bet that you would crash and burn. And also die. Thinking like that is basically putting a huge target on your forehead. Instead, you should try to leave on your own. You have better chances._

_AKAMATSU: But…what about everybody else? It would be selfish to escape on my own! Everybody else would still be stuck in the game! We should get as many people as possible and all escape together._

_OUMA: Is the bet still on? Because I'm gonna bet you that it's easier for one person to escape. You know what else I'm gonna bet? That I'd survive and you would be shot._

_SHIROGANE: W-we could check that… Have a re-enactment of a killing game…_

_AKAMATSU: Like…our own Battle Royale? That sounds dangerous…_

_OUMA: Chickening out, Akamatsu-chan?_

_AKAMATSU: No! I still believe that working together is the key to ending a killing game!_

_SHIROGANE: I-I agree with you, Akamatsu-san, but…it's eating at me that we might never know…_

_HOSHI: I can't help but wonder about that, too. My life isn't worth much anyway, so I could volunteer for that._

_OUMA: This is getting interesting…_

_IRUMA: I hate to say that he's right. I don't see how everyone could escape. But a person or two? Maybe._

_CHABASHIRA: That's wrong! Tenko thinks that if all the girls worked together, they could survive! Menaces are too violent to cooperate, though, so Tenko understands why Ouma-san wouldn't believe it. Ugh!_

_SHIROGANE: I suppose we could take bets and then check for ourselves. Run a simulation of sorts… I'll think about it…_

The recording ended. Shirogane threw up a peace sign and grinned.

HOSHI: That was…us?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko…heard her own voice! Without a doubt! Everybody's voices too!

OUMA: It sure is convenient that you got a recording of the six of us talking in particular, Shirogane-chan. Is it edited too? Or was it just a happy coincidence that you had it on hand?

SHIROGANE: It's not edited and it's not a coincidence! Again, I couldn't have expected that you five would be the ones to make it this far. It took me a while to find the right recording. Luckily, I secretly recorded all the meetings we held!

IRUMA: So that was…really us? Let me guess, that was the fuckin' Battle Royale Club or whatever the hell it was called?

SHIROGANE: Yes. It was a club where we discussed killing games in fiction. And other things, but mostly that. Soon enough, all of you were asking yourselves the question that I was asking since I only remembered.

AKAMATSU: That question being…?

SHIROGANE: 'What would I do in a killing game?' of course. The question every fan asks themselves. They wonder what they would do, and if it would work. They relate to certain characters and resent others. They root for someone and put themselves in their shoes. They hope somebody else dies a slow painful death. And they wonder, they always wonder…what would I, the reader, the audience member, do?

AKAMATSU: Oh… Were you trying to put us in a situation where we would actually find out what we would do? And if it would work? That's insane!

SHIROGANE: Is it? That's what you wanted. You heard the recording.

AKAMATSU: YOU were the one who wanted to know!

SHIROGANE: I assure you, that perverse curiosity was in all of us, even though not all of us wanted to admit it as openly as I did. We were all hurt people with issues, you see…tossing ourselves into an arena wasn't an issue.

HOSHI: ...That does sound like something I would think about. Not only myself. Based on what we know about the others, I can see why that kind of thinking would take root in us. Even if it was just to prove that love can win, or something like that.

CHABASHIRA: It's still wrong… None of us remembered agreeing to this! We might have changed our minds!

SHIROGANE: Maybe. Or maybe I'm lying about what happened to split responsibility? Haha! In any case, that's why we're here. To find out the answers! And the answers are...well. Akamatsu-san didn’t save everyone, but she did get us all to the end, right? And she could only do that because of Ouma-kun’s and Iruma-san’s individual actions. So, I suppose neither was fully right or fully wrong? You two should settle it amongst yourselves.

AKAMATSU: …

SHIROGANE: Another thing I want to mention… When we bet on who would survive the game, everybody expected me to die. Ha. I won that bet too, I suppose…

AKAMATSU: This is insane! If she's telling the truth…what were we thinking?!

IRUMA: I'll never believe I was stupid enough to sign up for this shit. She just used us as lab rats for her social experiment.

SHIROGANE: Mhm, I can't blame you for thinking this way…but I also want to mention that we're approaching the end. I don't have much else to say, really. I could detail all the horrific deaths, since I saw them all. I could call you out on things I saw you do. I could tell you just how violent the culprits looked and how dramatic it all was. But, at the end of the day, I've been talking for so long. I'm tired. I want…to finish what I started.

AKAMATSU: What…do you mean?

SHIROGANE: Akamatsu-san. Everyone. Tell me, heroes, tell me honestly how much you hate me and how much you want me to die. I know that I don't deserve anything else.

AKAMATSU: Huh?

SHIROGANE: It's time to end this… And the choice is yours. Will you condemn me? Will you consider yourself complicit and die with me? Or will you forgive both myself and each other so we can live here in peace? The choice is not mine, is it? I'm the villain of this story. It's your call, isn't it? Haha… I wonder... I'll take the verdict, no matter what...

Akamatsu looked down at her shaking hands.

What was she going to do…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you going to do, dear audience? Ask more questions? Execute her? Forgive her? Take blame?
> 
> A little note, while I'm here. I don't think everybody will be happy with this ending, for many reasons. Maybe it will feel too close to the original, or too far. It's hard to tell from my perspective.
> 
> Kodaka wrote the V3 ending from his POV as someone who feels stuck in his own formula. I wrote mine from the POV of someone who's loved death games for years and studied them as a genre - and wrote an essay on them. Death games are a very unique genre, perhaps because death is such a huge thing in them that it is in the name. You cannot get into a death game without knowing that many, sometimes all or almost all characters will die.
> 
> With that comes a very interesting question that everyone I know in death game fandoms has pondered, casually or seriously - what if I were in a killing game? What if I found myself kidnapped and forced to kill people for a chance to get out? Would I be a survivor? A victim? A killer? Or would I be the mastermind? It's so normalized in dangan ronpa fandom that it's something you see in every quiz, in every 'SHSLsona's' bio.
> 
> None of us are likely to be in such a situation, thankfully. We get to ponder it and convince ourselves that we know how it would go. In a truly meta move, I was given a layer of separation from a fictional character who ALSO pondered the question...and decided to make it come true. 
> 
> Another thing that I wanted to explore was seeing real people as fictional characters who fit certain tropes and might act in certain ways. It's something that I have experience with, too, though obviously not to the degree Shirogane is presenting here. Another nice layer of separation. And I think it's more punchy than 'this was literally fiction all along', but that might just be me.
> 
> There's one more chapter ahead of us, but I wanted to say all that here, since this chapter is where it came up.
> 
> Share your thoughts, if you have any, of course. Thank you so, so much for reading this far.


	55. Chapter 6: END

Akamatsu closed her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at Shirogane, whose glowing eyes were drilling into her – and only her. She didn't understand any of it. Not Shirogane's feelings for her, not her goals, and not her current emotional state. She was the mastermind who orchestrated the killing game – regardless of whether the rest of them were involved at the start, she was the only one aware of what was going on now.

And yet, she still looked as vulnerable as always, with beads of sweat rolling down her face, making her hair stick to her forehead. Was that all an act? Or did these two sides of her just naturally coexist from the start? That possibility was even more terrifying in a sense.

And now...she was asking to be judged and forgiven? It was obvious that she didn't realise what was so wrong about what she did. She imagined herself as the villain, of course, but it felt like she wasn't aware just how serious, how real it was.

When one reads a book or watches a movie where characters die, their deaths hurt. In a way, they feel real and permanent – in the moment. But, one can always reread the book from the start and bring them back – at least for a while, before they inevitably die again. The power stories have was something nobody had to explain.

But none of them could just turn a few pages back and bring their friends back to life. And Shirogane didn't seem to feel much about that. She killed her childhood friend. Did she not feel anything at all? Akamatsu couldn't make sense of it at all.

She could never forgive Shirogane for what she did, but was she in the position to judge her? After all, the true meaning of her words was clear: you will decide if I deserve to keep living or not. Was that a call the five of them could make, like they did for the previous culprits? 

Akamatsu glanced to her left. Ouma was looking back at her with a mischievous smile. Wait, was it really just mischievous? Somehow, it made her feel safe. It told her, 'we're going to get out of here, just hang in there for a bit more, Akamatsu-chan!' - and she smiled in response.

She proceeded to look around the room. Hoshi's eyes met hers. He nodded his head ever so slightly. Seeing that even he seemed confident in their escape warmed her heart. She couldn't give up! Not after convincing this suicidal man that his life was worth living!

Tenko had been looking down at her hands, picking at her fingernails. Her face was unnaturally pale and she seemed like she was going to cry. Once her eyes met Akamatsu's, a faint smile formed on her lips. Her face regained colour. She was ready to keep fighting.

Iruma had been staring at Shirogane with rage in her eyes. She was clenching and unclenching her fists. When she looked into Akamatsu's eyes, her muscles relaxed noticeably. She bit her lips and shook her head. Her anger was pushing her forward.

AKAMATSU: Shirogane-san...

SHIROGANE: Have you come to a decision? I expected it to be an easy call, to be honest... 

OUMA: Shirogane-chan, not so fast! We're not done questioning you yet, silly. You won't get away without telling us about the exit. I won't just take your word for letting us go!

AKAMATSU: That's right! We looked for the exit everyhere. The only place left is your lair, isn't it? That's where the exit must be, and we need to know how to access it!

IRUMA: Yeah, let us go the fuck home finally! I can't stand hearing you blab about yer delusions for much longer. Just shut the fuck up already!

SHIROGANE: Ahaha, of course, you will get to go home if you wish! But before then, I just want to say...I don't get why you want to go home this badly. What's so bad about this place? What's so good about 'home'? Do you even know where home is?

AKAMATSU: ...Huh? Of course we want to go home! Who would want to stay here?!

IRUMA: What's so bad 'bout this place? Stop joking! Who the hell would wanna stay here and be surrounded by corpses and cameras?!

SHIROGANE: Oh, I could turn off the cameras. As for the corpses, well, we could just close the infirmary again, and you wouldn't have to worry about them again. Iruma-san, look what you would get in exchange. You could continue working in the warehouse. You could even fix Kiibo-kun! And all that without having to worry about sailing back to Japan! You wouldn't have to hide, I wouldn't get in your way at all.

IRUMA: Ngh.... I do have a shitton of materials here... But, nah. I'm tired of this shitty warehouse. I'll find my own space once I'm outta here. If we really are on an island, that means I will run out of materials sooner or later. Nah, thanks.

SHIROGANE: So you would rather go outside with no money and start from scratch? That sounds challenging, maybe even irresponsible...

IRUMA: I'll figure it out! I'm gonna grab everythin' I can and sell it. Find my sponsors! I don't give a shit, just get me outta here! I might even grab, upgrade and sell Monokuma! Give him back!

SHIROGANE: Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that. See, the AI you invented is extremely loyal. While Kiibo-kun was loyal to you, Monokuma is loyal to me. If I die, he dies with me!

MONOKUMA: Mom... I can't go with you bastards! This school is my only home, upupu...

IRUMA: Augh, dammit... I was hopin' I could fix him to stop being such a li'l shit... But it's whatever! I'm Iruma Miu, golden girl genius! I can build another! I could build whatever I want!

SHIROGANE: I see your mind is set. You won't me dead this badly, huh... After all, I wouldn't have to die if we all stayed here, but I can't go outside anymore. Ooooh, I can't blame you. But...how about Ouma-kun, do you want to be responsible for my death?

OUMA: Oh, yep. This is no different than executing thee culprits. It...is technically death penalty, buuut...I did well at forgetting about it. Your crimes aren't comparable to anything, y'know? I even felt more pity for assassin-chan than I ever could for you.

SHIROGANE: Ah, you decided to live in denial? That's as good a strategy as any, but I have bad news for you, Ouma-kun. You're still complicit in Yonaga Angie's death. You used her as your shield. You allowed Kiibo-kun to die – you're the reason he became suicidal in the first place. You, just like the others, are also complicit in the deaths of the culprits. If you hadn't voted, you'd be punished in their place! Is all this allowed in your moral code, or did you deliberately bend it? DICE would be disappointed! If they're alive, that is.

OUMA: _(turning pale)_ ...Did you...hurt them? Did you...do anything to them...?

SHIROGANE: Aha, now you're scared! No, I didn't. But neither you nor I can know if they're alive...or if they still see you as their leader. You abandoned them to participate in this game, where you got many people killed and started associating with an actual murderer. Will they accept you back? You're a lousy leader. It's clear that they are just your power trip.

OUMA: ...This is...all the more reason to find them! You don't know anything about DICE, you said so yourself! Maybe I wasn't the best person, and maybe this game made me a hypocrite, but I'm done with that. DICE are my family, and you know what? So are these guys. Even Iruma-chan.

SHIROGANE: How touching. Still, for how long are you going to ignore Hoshi-kun's past? He broke the one rule you have.

OUMA: Oh, I'm not ignoring it. I just don't care.

SHIROGANE: Aha? I'm supposed to believe that there's no inner turmoil? Please tell me there at least was for a bit! When you read the files! I saw your reactions! You can't hide your feelings from me! This is tragic, isn't it?

HOSHI: Shirogane, why are you looking for issues where there are none? Maybe there were some earlier. But neither of us have to talk about it. It doesn't matter. I've decided that I...will never do it again. Everyone forgave me, I think.

SHIROGANE: Do you think society will? Here, you're safe from the consequences. There are no criminal records. This is the castle of death. You can live here and forget that you're a murderer! Of course, I'm willing to not bring it up again, but...

HOSHI: I don't think you get it, Shirogane. The only reason why I'm even letting myself move forward and live...is that I was punished for my crime. I've been to prison. And then I've been in this killing game. I made up for my sin. Whether somebody forgives me or not is their choice, but...I had to forgive myself, right? I can't let my guilt choke me to death. I have to be better, is all.

SHIROGANE: I see... Well then! Chabashira-san, what about you? We've become pretty close, right? You're sure you don't want to stay here with me? Close to Yumeno-san and Harukawa-san? Or maybe...you're going to throw them away forever, just like that? I didn't expect you to be so cold!

CHABASHIRA: Tenko...isn't cold at all! She is not throwing them away! She knows that Yumeno-san and Harukawa-san would want her to escape! She will carry their sacrifices in her memory and in her heart! She can feel that they are watching over her, no matter where she goes!

SHIROGANE: Do you mean that? You cried in the infirmary. You cried on your way to the courtroom. Are you sure you're ready to say goodbye to them? You can say you will remeember them, but what if you don't? What if they vanish from your memory along with the rest of this game?

CHABASHIRA: Tenko...is ready. She won't forget! She's sure of it! She will remember Yumeno-san and Harukawa-san, and Angie-san, and everybody else!

SHIROGANE: I don't doubt that you will remember Angie-san... You will remember flipping her and dropping her onto the floor out of jealousy!

CHABASHIRA: Stop that! Tenko will not forget her past mistakes, but she refuses to dwell on them! She will become a performer, and dedicate every performance to the memory of Angie-san! To remind herself of her flaws!

SHIROGANE: It seems that everybody is in agreement, then... They want to escape from this wonderful school at the cost of my life. Funny how you can excuse such impulses to yourself... Akamatsu-san, the ball is in your court. You have the final say. Do you want to stay in this safe castle of lies, or escape into the wilderness outside and face the ugly reality?

AKAMATSU: The entire time I've been here, before the game even started...it's been my goal to escape. I knew the chances were slim, but I kept trying. Many of our friends died either because they wanted to escape, or because they wanted to give us a chance to escape. How could I throw all their efforts and sacrifices away? How could I give up now that I'm close to my goal? I don't care what's outside, I will face it! Just like I faced you!

SHIROGANE: Hah...you're all in agreement.... Just like I hoped! I expected nothing less from you!

AKAMATSU: You...never wanted us to actually stay here?

SHIROGANE: Of course, it would be super anticlimactic! I would have to kill you all myself for being such lousy heroes! But no... None of you were tempted. And rightfully so. Even if you elected to stay here and live safely, I'd make your lives living hell.

AKAMATSU: We...aren't going to be locked up here, right?

SHIROGANE: Haha, no, no. There is an exit. If I were to remain alive, I'd just us my ID and lead you outside, to the boat that's waiting for you outside...

HOSHI: ...Is there really a boat?

SHIROGANE: There sure should be... That's not a lie. I will never see it, haha...ha...

AKAMATSU: Shirogane-san...

SHIROGANE: I guess it can't be helped after all. For this story to end, I must die.

AKAMATSU: You… You don't…

OUMA: Tell us how to leave. Now.

SHIROGANE: Ahaha… Ouma-kun, your hatred of me is very welcome. It's reminding me how truly despicable I am as a villain. Tell me…was I good? Was I a good villain? Obviously, I was not a good person…

OUMA: Tell me how to leave. No chit-chat!

SHIROGANE: Getting right down to business aha… You correctly identified my lair! It's the room between the archive and the generator room. But there's another way to access it… One that I used before the basement opened for you. You should be able to tell where it is if you remember the layout of the school.

CHABASHIRA: The room above the lair…that must be the school store! Surely!

AKAMATSU: Yeah…it also explains why you would go there so often. Even during the final investigation…! I told you to go there myself, not suspecting a thing!

HOSHI: ...And also why we found you there during the blackout. That story sounded flimsy to me from the start. If you were in your lair when the mist bombs activated, you would want to go up and check what was going on...hence why you passed out there.

SHIROGANE: You're right, you're right, you're exactly right about all of that! But you don't know how to access it yet. Well, I want you to have some fun with that, so I will simply leave you with a code. Remember it well, alright? It's my parting gift for you. Here it is: 11037.

IRUMA: That's some weirdass code. Can't you just tell us what to do with it?! I'm tired of guessing what to do.

SHIROGANE: I'm sure you will know once you go there! I won't say anything more. I believe in you, heroes!

CHABASHIRA: We will definitely know what to do! Even without any more hints from you! Tenko believes that.

SHIROGANE: So…now we part ways, huh. You will remain alive…and I will finally die! Ahaha! See this collar around my neck? It's going to explode in a minute. I've always wanted to die like that. As a reference to the first death in Battle Royale. It won't be pretty, but does it matter? My body will be stuck in this school forever. I don't need to have an aesthetic death. Only you five will witness it. Though I do kind of want to look sexy for you, Akamatsu-san…

AKAMATSU: ...

SHIROGANE: Don't be sad, Akamatsu-san, I don't deserve it! Hate me, hate me with everything you have! Resent me! And then forget I ever existed! You beat me. The good guys won. The bad guy is going down. Happily ever after.

AKAMATSU: I think I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel conflicted, even now… But I can tell that's how it needs to end. I couldn't stop you even if I wanted or tried. You clearly…made up your mind to die. Long ago. This whole game was leading up to your death. I will never understand this, I don't want to! I just want to say… Goodbye…

Shirogane smiled softly. Tears started streaming down her face, but she was laughing. Laughing her heart out as the collar around her neck started glowing red and beeping. She took off her hat and her headset and threw them away. She let her hair down and it framed her shuddering, convulsing body, as she continued laughing.

And then, the collar exploded, and blood gushed out of her wound and her mouth as she collapsed heavily to the floor.

Akamatsu flinched. Colour drained from her face at the sight. Tenko closed her eyes and turned towards her, shuddering. Akamatsu patted her back instinctively. There, there. It's over. It's finally over.

Everybody's faces were various shades of blue or green, but some of them were smiling to make up for it. Hoshi was firmly holding Ouma's hand. Iruma leaned her head against Akamatsu's shoulder without a word.

It was…about to be over. But at what cost? And what was waiting outside the school?

Akamatsu stepped forward cautiously.

Shirogane's limp, lifeless body lay on the floor in a pool of her own blood, gushing out of her neck. Her face was always going to be stuck in a terrifying, cruel smile, with pinkish saliva dripping out of her open mouth and tears rolling down her cheeks from her wide open eyes, now seeming unnaturally large without the glasses distorting them - the glasses, mind, flew off her face during the fall and cracked. In a morbid way...she seemed truly happy to die. One could have sworn she was still laughing loudly and spasmodically. Akamatsu couldn't tell if that impression reflected Shirogane's genuine feelings, or if she simply convinced herself that death was what she desired…or deserved. It was still hard to tell what Shirogane was like underneath the role she taught herself to play in front of her mind's audience.

Akamatsu looked away from the body and towards the others. Nobody dared to say a word, so she elected to cut the silence and formulate a course of action for them to take.

'What are we going to do with the body?' she asked surprisingly matter-of-factly, despite her legs shaking and her throat closing up around her words. 'Should we leave it here or…take it to the infirmary?'

'I ain't touching that,' Iruma responded soberly, throwing her hands up in the air. 'I'm goin' to the infirmary before we go, but I refuse to do that.'

'It would be kind to carry her there,' Hoshi mused, 'but I'm not sure if she'd want that kindness. It probably doesn't matter anyway. It's not like we can bury hair properly, and she said she didn't care.'

'Let's leave her here,' Ouma scoffed, scrunching up his nose. 'That's what she deserves. I don't care what she wanted or not, she deserves to rot,' he said, kicking his foot in her direction.

'That doesn't sit right with Tenko. Despite what Shirogane-san did, she still deserves this much, right?' Tenko protested, looking down at the body sorrowfully. 'Tenko doesn't think Shirogane-san realised how evil her actions were. She was a lost person…and she could never find her way back…'

'Shirogane-chan might as well stay lost,' Ouma pointed out, heading towards the elevator. 'I'm not carrying her body either, and who knows what's going to happen if we don't get out of here quickly enough.'

'Akamatsu, what do you think?' Hoshi asked, looking back at her. He had followed Ouma hesitantly.

'I know what Tenko-san means. Shirogane-san didn't seem to know what she was doing. But…I can't let that change anything! Let's think about ourselves first and get out of here. Ouma-kun is right. The school might even collapse before we have a chance to get out, for all we know.'

She grabbed Iruma and Tenko by the hands and headed towards the elevator door. Behind them, as soon as they entered the elevator, the courtroom went dark, devouring Shirogane' s body for eternity.

***

'This will be it, won't it?' Akamatsu murmured standing in front of the vending machine. Her finger was shaking.

'If it's not, then Shirogane-chan pulled the biggest prank of all,' Ouma remarked with forced laughter. Hoshi, standing next to him, shook his head in silence.

Akamatsu took a deep breath and started typing the code into the vending machine. She was praying that it would work.

One. One. Zero. Three. Seven. Done.

Tenko and Iruma entered the room, carrying a heavy box together. It was the same one that Akamatsu recalled seeing in the infirmary. It contained the two halves of Kiibo…so Iruma really was going to try and fix him. That was going to be a pain to transport, and yet she couldn't help but smile.

'Did ya dinguses enter the code?' Iruma asked, huffing and puffing under the weight of the box.

'Yeah, we did. I think I heard something open in the corner of the room,' Akamatsu said, knitting her eyebrows.

'You heard right,' Hoshi informed, having leapt onto the counter and peeked under it. 'There's a hole in the floor, right there.'

'Are we going to have to jump down the hole? Tenko is not sure how she feels about that, especially with this box…'

'There's a ladder,' Hoshi informed, hopping onto the floor next to the hole. 'We'll still have to be careful, but at least we'll have something to hold onto.'

'Speak for yerself! I'd need a third hand to hold onto anything,' Iruma complained, setting the box down on the counter with a heavy sigh. 'If only we had another fuckin' backpack like Akamatsu's.'

'Gimme a moment,' Ouma demanded, taking off his cloak. He looked at it, then back at the box with Kiibo's parts, humming and tapping his foot. After thinking it over for a moment, he set the box down in the centre of the cloak, and wrapped it up. He failed to pick it up, but at least now it looked somewhat like Santa's bag of presents.

'Good job, clown prince,' Iruma praised him cheerfully, patting his back so hard that he flinched - in appreciation, of course. 'Didn't expect that from ya.'

'It weighs like a billion kilos so I can't carry it,' he pointed out, rubbing his back where she hit him, 'and if anything happens to this cloak, I won't hesitate to kill you,' he added with an innocent smile.

'Now the question is, who can carry it?' Akamatsu chimed in. She knew that carrying both that and her backpack would be too much at once.

'Tenko will do it! Thanks to her training, she can carry heavier things easily!' Tenko volunteered, flexing her muscles.

'Hell yeah, knew I can count on ya instead of these scrawny bitches,' Iruma said, giving her a grateful thumbs up.

'You can count on Tenko to carry Kiibo-san's remains with all due respect!' she assured.

'It's settled, then,' Akamatsu said gratefully. 'Who wants to go first? I don't think it should be Tenko-san, she should go last so we can support her and catch the bag if something happens.

'I don't think it's a long way down here. Probably no more than four meters or so. I might as well go first,' Hoshi suggested.

'I'll go right after you, then,' Akamatsu said, nodding her head.

'Aw man, that means if I go after you I will have Iruma-chan's butt in front of my face,' Ouma complained, puffing out his cheeks.

'That should be an honour, ya li'l shit!' Iruma scoffed. 'Don't stare at it if you don't wanna! It's between that and the bag hitting your stupid head with every step.'

'I can go after you, if you really want to, Ouma-kun…' Akamatsu offered, resigned. 'I don't know why it's such a big deal, though.'

'I'm amazed that we made it this far with these attitudes,' Hoshi remarked, already entering the hole. 'Let's just go, everyone. Who knows what obstacles might await us down here.'

***

'Hang in there! You can do it!'

Tenko was slowly but steadily going down the ladder. Not a word of complaint from her, just sweat running down her cheeks and neck. She had wrapped the cloak bag around her wrist to hold it more easily.

She reached the ground. Now all five of them had made it to the mastermind's lair.

There was an abundance of computers and screens in the room. They were showing the footage from all the working cameras in the school. It was unnerving to see what Shirogane was seeing for the past few weeks of the game.

They didn't have time or energy to examine everything in the room, or everything that was on the computers. Their priority right now was getting out of there.

That task seemed relatively easy, actually. Once they turned away from the monitors, the exit revealed itself. It was a large, circular door that took up a large part of the wall. There was a doorknob, and there didn't seem to be anything like an ID reader or a lock.

'This almost seems like a trap,' Hoshi mused, examining it closely.

'Sounds like something Shirogane-chan would do. One last gift of malice for her dearest heroes!' Ouma remarked sarcastically, looking over his shoulder.

'Tenko…disagrees with that!' she protested, shaking her head. 'Shirogane-san wouldn't do that. Not just for our sake...but also out of convenience!'

'I don't necessarily disagree, but what do you mean, Chabashira?' Hoshi asked.

'This door is the only way out of this school. Not just for us…but for Shirogane-san, too! It must be easy to open in case of emergency. Tenko will prove it!' she said confidently, reaching over Ouma's shoulder for the knob.

…

The door opened easily. Ouma and Hoshi narrowly avoided it, jumping away. Or, to be precise, Ouma jumped back, grabbing Hoshi with him.

'Whoops,' Tenko said, blushing apologetically. 'See, Tenko was right! The door opened!'

'Whoa, holy shit,' Iruma muttered, sweating profusely. Ouma had bumped into her, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

'Good job, Tenko-san,' Akamatsu said weakly. That display of strength left…quite an impression on her. She felt her face getting hot. She cleared her throat and took a peek outside the door.

What she saw was darkness and a faint hint of light somewhere in the distance. Therefore, she figured, what she was seeing was an underground tunnel. Where could it possibly lead? She had no time to worry about that. There was no other way to escape anyway. Wherever it led, they had no alternative!

'That doesn't look half as bad as I thought,' Iruma remarked from right behind her. 'After that shitty ass ride clown twink and I went on, this shit doesn't scare me at all. I'm gettin' out of here and rebuildin' Kiibs! Anybody chickenin' out?'

'Tenko will not give up! We are almost free, and she's ready to face whatever the outside world has in store for her! She will become a performer like she's always wanted, and promote neo-aikido! All of you are invited, of course, even Ouma-san!'

'I'm not giving up either. I think…that this is my chance to start over. I can stop living with my guilt complex. I can pick tennis back up. And…Ouma, I can have a cat, right?' Hoshi murmured the last part with his cheek against Ouma's arm.

Ouma squeezed his hand affectionately. 'With my influence, you can have whatever you want, Hoshi-chan! And I will have my organisation back. My family! This game cured me from all the curiosity I had about death. I'm never touching it again.'

'I'm ready to go too,' Akamatsu said firmly. 'I just want to make sure of something before we go. Once we get back safely…we'll still be friends, right? We won't just…lose this connection?'

Four pairs of eyes looked right at her. Four mouths, after a moment of hesitation, smiled at her.

'Of course, dummy,' they said, without even using words. 'We'll be together forever. This game tied our lives for good.'

Akamatsu felt two hands grabbing hers. One belonged to Ouma, the other to Iruma. The former was also holding Hoshi's hand, the latter Tenko's. She felt the warmth of their bodies and souls reach her as all five of them embraced in front of the exit. She couldn't hold back the tears that she had been holding in for so long.

They were happy tears. They were tears of relief and pain. They were tears of regret and of hope, carrying the souls and memories of the fallen. Cleansing tears that washed her body clean of all remaining doubt and trauma.

It was time to face the truth that was waiting outside and leave this school of lies behind for good.

Akamatsu Kaede stepped into the tunnel.

***

'They really did it, huh?' Amami's spirit mused to himself, scratching his chin. A relieved smile danced on his lips. 'I knew she could do it.'

'Are you mad at Gonta?' Gonta asked in an apologetic whisper. 'He should have been more careful. And trusted you more… If only Gonta wasn't so naive as to believe Shirogane-san' s stories…'

'It's alright. You meant well. I shouldn't have stabbed you. We could have talked it out if not for my panic,' Amami said calmly yet bitterly. 'I could have ended the game right there.'

'We've all been foolish, haven't we?' Shinguuji remarked, glancing at Angie, who was avoiding eye contact, her face stuck in the perpetual smile. 'There were so many opportunities to stop this game. I suppose we chose to chase our individual salvation instead.'

'Nyeh. I should have let Tenko and Kaede help me. I just really…didn't think I deserved to live. I'm glad that they made it out there. I wish I could have joined them,' Yumeno whispered, looking down at her hands.

'Akamatsu-san did what I could never do, even though I tried. In the end, she found her truth and faced it,' Saihara mused. 'I have to say I'm proud of her.'

'Are you mad that Miu knocked you out, Shuuichi?' Angie asked, finally perking back up.

'Haha, no,' he admitted, shaking his head. 'She didn't mean to harm me.'

'Do you forgive me for killing you? I hope you understand,' Toujou asked stiffly, eyeing him. 'It was a necessary measure, you understand.'

'Ah, um…' he stammered. He began sweating profusely with a crooked, awkward smile. 'I have no use for hard feelings now, right...?'

'Coward,' Harukawa scoffed at his vague answer, crossing her arms. She paused for a while, looking down at her feet. 'I just know that they will both forget about me. It might be for the best. But I'm glad they made it,' she whispered to herself.

'You're getting soft, aren't you, Harumaki?' Momota teased, smiling at her.

'Don't call me that…' she protested, looking away.

'Fine, fine! I'll just pretend I didn't hear what you said just then.'

Silence befell them. Everyone's eyes looked to the very end of the row, where Shirogane had just materialised. She wore a concerned expression on her face.

'I-I see everyone is here. Did you enjoy the show? You were an amazing audience! I could feel your reactions from the afterlife! D-did I put on a good show for you?' she asked with feverish passion in her eyes. Since nobody was answering her, she addressed Amami specifically. 'I didn't expect to reunite like this, haha… Now we'll get to spend the afterlife together, isn't that right?'

Amami looked at her calmly. 'I think I'm done with you. I think we all are.'

'The story is coming to an end, after all. It can't be helped,' Shirogane retorted.

'Angie wonders…are they going to make it? Kaede and the others?'

'Gonta thinks they will. They will always find a way, with Akamatsu-san leading them.'

'Tenko will never give up,' Yumeno added with a soft smile. 'And Kaede is too stubborn to ever give up, too.'

'That sounds about right,' Amami admitted, laughing. 'Let's leave it to them.'

'Well, we can only speculate,' Shirogane said, getting up from her seat. 'The show is over. It's time to leave and let our hopes carry them to their happy ending. We, however, can't stay and watch any longer. Goodbye!'

Curtain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The final chapter.
> 
> A note from your sponsor:  
> I put blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights and carpal tunnels into this story. I started it on December 30th, 2018, and am finishing it today, August 8th, 2019. Over seven months. Over 31 weeks. Updates twice a week on average. Over 260k words.
> 
> I cannot thank everybody enough for sticking with me through this journey. If you left a comment, kudos, bookmark, sent me an ask on tumblr, recommended the story to someone, voted on the polls...you impacted it in some way. You motivated me to keep going, to keep improving. You gave me direction. And your choices impacted the story. Obviously we can't load a save state and go a different route now, but I think we got a pretty good ending, don't you agree?
> 
> There are things I still want to do - mainly climax inference comics, but, as of today, we're more or less officially done.
> 
> If you want to ask me anything, or tell me how the story impacted you, please do. Don't feel bad about leaving long comments - they kept me going through this all. I welcome comments on earlier chapters from those who are rereading and such. You, dear reader, can flip the pages back to the beginning, and relive the story once again, and I'd love to hear about it. Don't be shy about fanart, either. I can dream of seeing my writing illustrated.
> 
> If there's high demand for an epilogue, I might write it, but I like the ambiguity for now. It makes you want to imagine.
> 
> Did you enjoy the spirit audience? Is it another of Akamatsu's piano visions...?
> 
> Before I leave you, dear reader, let me leave you with two suggestions. First, please read or watch Battle Royale if you haven't. This story would not exist if not for that one - and neither would Dangan Ronpa, for that matter.  
> Secondly, if you want, drop by my tumblr (halfpastmonsoon). I posted and will continue posting C&D illustrations there. I'm also easier to reach over there.
> 
> What else is there to say? Don't be a Shirogane, I guess. Be kind to people, including yourself.
> 
> Thank you for being here.
> 
> -Maxence
> 
> EDIT: Holy moly your responses so far have been amazing. Thank you all so much.
> 
> I forgot to mention a funny thing about the survivors. Each of them died in a different chapter in the game.  
> Chapter 1: Akamatsu  
> Chapter 2: Hoshi  
> Chapter 3: Tenko  
> Chapter 4: Iruma  
> Chapter 5: Ouma

**Author's Note:**

> Comment & kudos and whatnot very much appreciated  
> Any questions appreciated as well  
> 


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